Tabriz Air Base is home to Iran’s active MiG‑29 squadron and historically hosted F‑4 Phantoms in the past. It’s a major hit, cutting into Iran’s frontline air defence and rapid-response capability in the northwest, especially along the Turkey‑Azerbaijan.

Recap: Israeli jets entered via Syria after disabling Iranian and Iraqi air defenses, striking enrichment sites and missile bases; Iran’s top brass eliminated; Khamenei orders war readiness; Trump vows to defend Israel; here’s what we know.

Israel Launches Preemptive Strike Against Iran, Sirens Wail Across Israel

According to Israeli sources, dozens of senior Iranian officials were killed. Iran officially confirmed that among the dead are:

Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri
His deputy Gholam Ali Rashid
Senior nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi and Abdolhamid Minoujhar
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear physicist and president of Islamic Azad University.

Several strikes reportedly targeted Tarbriz Air Base located at Tabriz Shahid Madani International Airport in Northwestern Iran within the last hour, with a number of explosions being heard and thick black smoke seen pouring from the military base in the East Azerbaijan Province. pic.twitter.com/uUWXxzADwT

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 13, 2025

Video of Tabriz International Airport

Revolutionary Guards Cyber ​​Army/Telegram pic.twitter.com/FhIE05fvw0

— Wladimir van Wilgenburg (@vvanwilgenburg) June 13, 2025

Iran has already announced new commanders for both the military and the Revolutionary Guards. This is the updated list of those killed—and their replacements.

YNET News:

The opening phase of the assault involved neutralizing air defense and detection systems in northern Iran and Iraq. Most of the sorties were flown through routes in Syria, which had previously been highly dangerous—until the Israeli Air Force dismantled Assad’s air defense network.

According to The New York Times, Israel struck six military bases in the Tehran area, including the Parchin base, as well as residential buildings inside two heavily secured compounds where senior military officers live. Additional homes around Tehran were also struck as part of the targeted assassinations of Iranian officials.

Other reports indicated that targets in Tabriz and Arak were also hit—Arak being the site of a heavy water reactor—as well as missile bases near Tehran and in Kermanshah. According to a senior Israeli official, alongside the extensive Air Force operations, Mossad carried out a series of covert sabotage missions deep inside Iran. These missions aimed to cripple Iran’s strategic missile array and its air defense capabilities.

That same night, Israel also attacked Iran’s uranium enrichment complexes. Footage from the Natanz area, home to Iran’s main enrichment facilities and thousands of centrifuges, showed heavy smoke rising. The facility was later

Israel wipes out strategic Iranian airport in fresh round of strikes

By: YNet News, June 13, 2025:

Operation Rising Lion: Shahid Fakouri military base, Tabriz International Airport reportedly destroyed; casualties reported in attack on Shiraz; IDF downs over 100 Iranian drones; Iran’s main underground uranium enrichment site destroyed

The Israeli Air Force on Friday struck and destroyed the airport in Tabriz, Iran, as part of a new wave of Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Reports from within Iran described a series of fresh explosions around the Shahid Fakouri military base and Tabriz International Airport, with additional damage reported along the nearby railway lines serving the airport.
Israeli airstrikes on the airport in Tabriz, Iran

Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV reported another strike near Shiraz, with casualties claimed in the vicinity, though the report could not be immediately verified.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezhakian condemned the attacks, writing on X that the “Zionist entity will regret its actions” and affirming that he and his government “have taken charge of managing the theater” following the bombings.

Earlier, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reported that the military had successfully intercepted all drones launched toward Israel by Iran as part of its retaliatory strike. The Home Front Command lifted its shelter-in-place directive shortly after.
According to officials, over 100 Iranian drones, already en route to Israel, were launched from multiple locations, including Iraq.

What led to the strike

Ynet military commentator Ron Ben-Yishai noted that Iran had recently completed a new underground facility at Natanz, where it planned to relocate thousands of advanced centrifuges capable of accelerating uranium enrichment dramatically.

Air Force strikes Tabriz

Another key factor behind the decision to launch the strike now was that, in recent days, Iran had begun a full-scale sprint toward developing a nuclear bomb, under direct orders from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The accelerated program was expected to allow Tehran to assemble a basic nuclear explosive device within a few months. The timing of the attack was also influenced by a rare statement from the IAEA, which accused Iran of violating oversight agreements and obstructing international monitoring of its nuclear program, effectively giving Israel a window of political legitimacy for action. Iran, in turn, alleged “collusion” between Israel and the IAEA.

Reports from within Iran described a series of fresh explosions around the Shahid Fakouri military base and Tabriz International Airport, with additional damage reported along the nearby railway lines serving the airport.
Israeli airstrikes on the airport in Tabriz, Iran

Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV reported another strike near Shiraz, with casualties claimed in the vicinity, though the report could not be immediately verified.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezhakian condemned the attacks, writing on X that the “Zionist entity will regret its actions” and affirming that he and his government “have taken charge of managing the theater” following the bombings.
Earlier, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reported that the military had successfully intercepted all drones launched toward Israel by Iran as part of its retaliatory strike. The Home Front Command lifted its shelter-in-place directive shortly after.
According to officials, over 100 Iranian drones, already en route to Israel, were launched from multiple locations, including Iraq.