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An extensive Israeli air and intelligence operation preempted a major Iranian counterattack, according to a report by Axios citing Israeli officials.
As Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force commanders convened in a bunker to coordinate a response to the anticipated Israeli strike, Israeli intelligence, aware of both the emergency protocol and the bunker’s location, destroyed the facility. The strike killed senior IRGC figures, including the heads of Iran’s drone and air defense programs.
The Israeli operation targeted Iran’s military command-and-control systems across the country. Among those killed were top commanders of the IRGC, Iran’s military, and the national emergency HQ.
"The fact that there was nobody to give the order neutralized an immediate Iranian response," an Israeli official said.
Simultaneously, Israel’s Mossad conducted sabotage operations inside Iran. Axios reports that Mossad units deployed hidden weapon systems near air defense positions and established a drone base inside Iran well ahead of the strike. When activated, these assets destroyed missile launchers and air defense sites, including at Esfajabad base near Tehran.
The Israeli Air Force, having pre-mapped Iran’s radar and missile defense systems, struck most of them in the operation’s opening phase, reportedly achieving near-total air superiority.
According to Israeli assessments cited by Axios, the initial goal was to prevent Iran from launching a salvo of 300–500 ballistic missiles. Instead, Iran responded hours later with around 100 drones, most of which were intercepted.
Israeli officials expect that Iran may still attempt a large-scale retaliation. “We think they want to prepare a significant missile barrage that would be big and coordinated in order to try and overwhelm our missile defense systems,” an official told Axios.
The IDF conducted strikes on ballistic missile launchers near the city of Asadabad in Hamadan province on Saturday, targeting systems believed to pose a threat to Israel, according to Israel’s N12 News.
Iranian officials say a critical miscalculation left the country vulnerable to Israel’s sweeping military campaign on Friday, according to a detailed New York Times report based on interviews with senior Iranian military figures.
Tehran had expected Israel to wait until after another scheduled round of US-Iran nuclear talks on Sunday in Oman before acting, and dismissed signs of imminent attack as psychological pressure.
As a result, key precautions were neglected. Top IRGC commanders, including Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, reportedly ignored a directive not to gather together and were killed while meeting at a military base in Tehran.
Also, "officials said that the night of Israel’s attack, senior military commanders did not shelter in safe houses and instead stayed in their own homes, a fateful decision," the report said.
Israel struck at least 15 sites across Iran, including major cities and critical infrastructure. The attacks severely damaged air defenses, missile bases, and the aboveground portion of the Natanz nuclear facility. Iranian leadership is said to be grappling with the scale of the intelligence failure and the political cost of the unprecedented strike, which has raised questions even within the Islamic Republic’s ruling circles.
Despite internal divisions and fears of escalation, Ali Khamenei ultimately authorized a limited retaliatory missile barrage on Israel, though IRGC members admitted they were unable to launch the planned 1,000 missiles due to damage from the initial Israeli strikes. Only about 100 missiles were launched in the end.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air force is continuing to strike targets inside Iranian territory.
Rescue teams evacuate wounded civilians and search through the rubble in Ramat Gan. According to i24NEWS, at least 63 people were injured, including two critically, and 300 residents were evacuated.
