Israeli warplanes will soon fly over Tehran, Netanyahu says

Three Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members were killed in an Israeli strike on the Zarandiyeh Basij base on Saturday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said,

“Following the brutal attack by the Zionist regime on the Zarandiyeh Basij base, three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed,” Tasnim quoted the Guards as saying.

A ballistic missile launcher in western Iran that was prepared to fire was targeted and destroyed, the Israeli Defense Force said.

It released footage of the strike, saying dozens of air defense systems were hit overnight and aerial superiority established from western Iran to Tehran.

The Israeli military said more than 70 fighter jets took part in a wide-scale overnight operation over Tehran, striking dozens of sites including Iranian air defense systems, in what it described as its deepest incursion into Iranian territory to date.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the operation, which lasted approximately two and a half hours, targeted around 40 sites in and around the Iranian capital.

“The dozens of aircraft are flying freely over Tehran, thanks to the opening blow that removed the threat of Iranian air defense systems,” Defrin said.

“Tehran is no longer immune; the capital is exposed to Israeli strikes,” he said.

Iran has cancelled planned negotiations with the United States that were due to take place in Oman on Sunday, sources told Iran International.

According to people familiar with the matter, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed his Omani counterpart — who had been mediating the indirect talks — that Tehran would not proceed with the discussions under current circumstances.

Also on Saturday, Araghchi told European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas that continuing negotiations with the United States is unjustifiable as long as Israeli attacks persist.

The cancellation follows Araghchi’s public criticism of Washington’s silence over Israel’s recent attacks on Iranian territory.

There was no immediate comment from US officials or Omani mediators.

Despite an official no-fly order issued amid heightened military tensions, passenger aircraft were seen taking off from Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Saturday, according to videos sent to Iran International.

Eyewitnesses said several planes were observed departing eastward, although Iranian authorities had earlier announced the closure of national airspace following the Israeli airstrikes.

Flight tracking websites including Flightradar24 showed limited visibility of the planes’ routes or destinations.

The continued departures have sparked speculation about the nature of the flights, with some observers suggesting they may be transporting government or military officials, or rerouting to undisclosed locations for safety.

Time-lapse images shared by Flightradar24 tracking website on Saturday showed aircraft taking off and heading toward unknown destinations. No flight paths or destinations were visible on tracking systems.

Social media users suggested the flights may have carried senior government or military officials to undisclosed locations for security reasons. There are others saying that the aircraft may have been rerouted to safe zones within Iran or the wider region to avoid potential strikes.