30+ targets hit: IDF expands aerial offensive into Central and Western Iran
Tel Aviv: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that they are executing a new wave of precision airstrikes across western and central Iran, expanding a massive joint offensive with the United States that has already decapitated the Islamic Republic’s top leadership.
In a statement posted to X, the military confirmed that dozens of high-value targets have been neutralised in the latest sorties. The operation is specifically focused on dismantling the infrastructure of Iran's "terror regime" to prevent further retaliatory strikes against Israel and its regional allies.
"ONGOING STRIKE: 30+ targets so far, in western and central Iran, including aerial defence systems, missile launchers, regime targets and military command centres," the IDF stated. "The IDF will continue to degrade the Iranian terror regime’s capabilities until they can no longer threaten our people."
Expanding the Theatre of War
The second wave of the campaign, codenamed "Operation Roaring Lion" by Israel, targets the heart of Iran’s military industrial complex. By striking central and western provinces, the IDF aims to:
- Neutralise Air Defences: Systems such as the Russian-made S-300 and domestic Bavar-373 have been targeted to ensure total "aerial freedom" for Israeli and American fighter jets.
- Destroy Launchers: Mobile ballistic missile units and drone launch pads used in Saturday’s counter-attacks against Tel Aviv and U.S. Gulf bases are being systematically identified and destroyed.
- Shatter Command and Control: Military headquarters and "regime targets" linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are being struck to prevent a coordinated Iranian response.
Escalation and Retaliation
The intensification of the air campaign follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial bombardment. While Tehran has declared 40 days of mourning for the leader, the IRGC has launched what it calls "Operation True Promise 4," firing hundreds of projectiles across the Middle East.
In Israel, the "special state of emergency" remains in effect. Magen David Adom reported that at least 21 people were injured in the Tel Aviv area during recent Iranian missile salvos, though the IDF noted that its layered defence shield, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow systems, has intercepted the vast majority of incoming threats.
"The mission is not over," a senior Israeli military official said, echoing President Trump’s warning that the "massive and ongoing" bombing campaign could continue for a week or more until the Iranian missile industry is "razed to the ground."