The Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched a fresh wave of strikes Sunday “in the heart of Tehran,” as Israeli officials said the campaign had rapidly shifted the balance of power in Iran’s skies, enabling deeper, heavier attacks against regime-linked targets.

The Israel Defense Forces said said the Air Force—“guided by IDF intelligence”—began striking “targets belonging to the Iranian terrorist regime in Tehran.” The military added that over the past day it carried out “large-scale strikes” intended to “establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.”

‼️ The video outlines the phases of the operation: targeting air defense systems and missile launchers in western Iran, then paving the way toward Tehran and establishing aerial superiority over the capital. pic.twitter.com/STDYyyZvG3

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) March 1, 2026

Defense Minister Israel Katz escalated the messaging, saying Israeli jets were now “‘stand-in’ over the skies of Tehran” while executing “a powerful attack on regime and repression targets in the heart of Tehran,” in accordance with an operational plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz. “From now on,” Katz said, “a non-stop air train will operate,” describing sustained attacks on the Iranian capital.

An IDF official told Channel 12 News that Israel, working alongside the US military, had achieved aerial superiority over western Iran, including Tehran—an assertion that, if sustained, would allow Israeli aircraft to operate within Iranian airspace and deliver heavy, precision-guided munitions with fewer constraints from air-defense threats.

The IDF later said it struck two Iranian fighter jets—an F-5 and an F-4—at Tabriz airport in western Iran as they were preparing for takeoff, calling the action part of efforts to degrade Iranian air force activity and further weaken Tehran’s aerial defenses.

The military also released footage of strikes targeting a truck carrying ballistic missiles, an Iranian air-defense system, a ballistic missile launcher and an unmanned aerial vehicle, presenting the campaign as a coordinated push to dismantle Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.

🎯STRUCK: Two F5 and F4 fighter jets at the airport of Tabriz in western Iran, as the jets were prepared for takeoff

The strike was conducted to degrade the Iranian Air Force’s activities and to further expand the degradation of their aerial defense. pic.twitter.com/lEvpyiPI5M

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 1, 2026

According to the Channel 12 report, Iran retains surface-to-air missile launchers, but is largely focused on concealing them from Israeli and US forces. An Israeli military official noted that Iranian air defenses were suppressed faster than during Israel’s June 2025 “Operation Rising Lion,” when air superiority was declared roughly 48 hours into fighting.

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