Exactly one month ago, the IDF and the US Army launched Operation ‘Lion’s Roar’ to strike the Iranian terror regime and remove long-term existential threats to the State of Israel, which the regime is strengthening and funding. Since then, 4 weeks have passed, filled with eliminations, air, ground, and sea attacks – all simultaneously.
What has happened so far?
The operation continues with intensity, and to date – over 800 Air Force sorties have been carried out using approximately 16,000 different munitions, over 2,000 regime soldiers and commanders have been eliminated, and over 4,000 targets have been attacked.
It can now be revealed that in an extensive intelligence effort by Aman and the Air Force since Operation ‘Iron Swords’, over 5,000 new targets have been identified, including thousands of terror components attacked in the current operation.
And in parallel to the attacks in Iran, the IDF, led by the Operations Directorate, is conducting a multi-arena campaign, attacking approximately 7,000 targets across all combat zones.
Week 1 – The Opening Strike and Hezbollah’s Entry into the Campaign
The opening strike of the operation is hard to forget, with the elimination of the regime leader Ali Khamenei, and approximately 40 other senior figures wiped out in less than a minute. But besides the fact that both the Ministry of Intelligence and the Supreme National Security Council were attacked simultaneously, another achievement was recorded that day: the largest aerial formation in the history of the Air Force.
‘Beresheet’ (Genesis), included about 200 fighter jets, hundreds of munitions dropped, and about 500 targets. With its help, air superiority was achieved in Iran within 24 hours.
Two days into the operation, it expanded to the Lebanese border, as Hezbollah launched a barrage towards northern Israel, prioritizing the Iranian regime over Lebanese civilians. Thus, it joined the campaign, and in response, the IDF began a wave of air attacks against the terror organization. In addition, regular and reserve ground forces were deployed along the northern front line, and now 4 divisions are in Lebanon: 162, 91, 36, and 146.
Week 2 – On the Target: The Connection Between Lebanon and Iran
The second week opened at a hotel in Beirut. There, a secret meeting took place of 5 senior commanders from the Lebanon Corps and the Palestine Corps – extensions of the Iranian Quds Force, whose sole purpose is to strengthen and build terror organizations outside Iran’s borders.
The meeting was cut short when the Navy eliminated the “quintet” in a precise night strike, adding another step to the effort to sever the terror pipeline controlled by the Revolutionary Guards.
The days continued with numerous attacks against critical command centers and facilities of the Iranian regime, including: the Air Force headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the Emergency Headquarters – and the regime’s Space Research Center, which houses laboratories for developing military satellites intended for surveillance and directing fire at the Middle East.
The seal of approval came towards the end of the week, when several senior figures in the ‘Imam Hussein’ Division were eliminated, including the force commander. That group, founded during the Syrian civil war by the Quds Force, ‘migrated’ to Lebanese territory, currently operates alongside Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed Shiite militias – and participates in ground combat, and in launching rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles towards Israel.
Week 3 – Elimination of Key Regime Figures and Damage to the Revolutionary Guards’ Navy
Throughout the third week, several key figures in the Iranian regime were eliminated: the Basij commander, the Minister of Intelligence, and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in the Revolutionary Guards, who acted as the de facto Supreme Leader. Alongside them, the Revolutionary Guards’ spokesperson, Ali Mohammad Na’aini, was also eliminated.
A significant strike occurred on the second day of the week – when the Air Force attacked the main headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards’ Navy, established within a large military complex in eastern Tehran. This location had been used for years to manage and promote terror operations against Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. This was not the only blow against the Navy, as for the first time, the IDF attacked Iranian Navy missile ships in the Caspian Sea.
In addition, the regime’s ballistic missile system was significantly damaged, as the Air Force attacked sites used for their production and development. Alongside this, attacks against fire systems were expanded, with five of them carried out within mere seconds in western Iran.
Following the elimination of the ‘Imam Hussein’ Division’s leadership last week, the successor to the force commander in Beirut was also eliminated, after only a week in the role. The IDF added a wave of attacks in southern Lebanon against fuel stations of the ‘Al-Amana’ company, controlled by Hezbollah and serving as significant economic infrastructure for the organization.
In the northern sector, Division 36 began targeted ground activity in southern Lebanon, and Division 162 also completed its readiness for operations in the arena, after two years of fighting in the Gaza Strip. It was also revealed that by that week, the IDF had attacked over 2000 Hezbollah targets, and over 750 Hezbollah terrorists had been eliminated.
Week 4 – Completion of the Elimination of 3 Corps Commanders, and Deepening Ground Activity in Lebanon
In the fourth week, targeted ground activity in southern Lebanon was intensified, with the elimination of dozens of Hezbollah terrorists. Among the notable events: the elimination of 8 terrorists by the Golani Brigade Combat Team, the capture of two armed terrorists from the ‘Radwan’ force by Givati Brigade fighters, and the arrest of a squad commander in the ‘Lebanese Battalions’ by Egoz Brigade fighters – a terror organization funded by Hezbollah. Additionally, it was revealed that for the first time, the Hasmonean Brigade is operating in Lebanon.
Concurrently, the IDF continued to strike at the core systems and foundations of the Iranian regime, by attacking cruise missile production sites, the most significant site in Iran for the production of missiles and naval mines, and the central security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, located within civilian infrastructure, which the Revolutionary Guards used to synchronize regional units responsible for maintaining internal order and security.
One of the week’s significant achievements was the completion of the elimination of the three most central corps commanders of the Revolutionary Guards: when the IDF eliminated the Commander of the Navy, and the Head of the Intelligence Department of the Revolutionary Guards’ Navy, who joined Hajizadeh, the Commander of the Air Force, and Pakpour, the Commander of the Ground Forces, who were also eliminated by the IDF.
The operation continues with intensity, and to date – over 800 Air Force sorties have been carried out in the operation using approximately 15,000 different munitions, over 2,000 regime soldiers and commanders have been eliminated, and over 4,000 targets have been attacked.
