Details of Israel's "Rising Lion" operation targeting Iranian military, nuclear, and leadership objectives.

Key Chapter Title List

1. Strategic and Operational Insights
2. Operation Objectives Overview: Senior Command Systems, Nuclear Facilities, and Air Defense Capabilities
3. First Wave Focus: Air Defense Suppression and Air Superiority Establishment
4. Precision Strikes on Iranian Leadership and Scientists
5. Intelligence and Internal Sabotage Operations: The Role of Mossad
6. Follow-up Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities
7. Iran's Retaliatory Response: Drone Attacks and Their Interception
8. External Cooperation and Air Defense Alliance: The Role of the U.S. and Other Partners
9. Analysis of Reasons for Iran's Unused Missile Capabilities
10. Strike Effects on Iran's "Ring of Fire" Proxy Network
11. Analysis of Operation Scale and Trend Charts
12. Evolution of Iranian Attack Methods: From Missiles to Drones

Document Introduction

This report is based on a real-time update released by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (JINSA) on June 13, 2025, providing an in-depth analysis of the large-scale military operation codenamed "Rising Lion" initiated by Israel. This operation marks a new phase in Israel's direct, high-intensity strikes against Iranian military, nuclear, and leadership targets. The core of the report lies in analyzing the complex campaign, potentially lasting days or weeks, executed jointly by the Israeli Air Force and the Mossad intelligence agency, and assessing Iran's immediate retaliatory capabilities and strategic choices. Set against the backdrop of the escalation cycle following Iranian attacks on Israel in April and October 2024, this analysis aims to provide an authoritative operational and strategic-level assessment for understanding the dynamics of the current direct Israel-Iran conflict.

The report details the strategic objectives and initial execution of the "Rising Lion" operation. Israel deployed over 200 fighter jets, using more than 330 munitions, successfully striking approximately 100 targets within Iran. These targets covered the Natanz enrichment facility in Isfahan province, multiple locations in Tabriz, Tehran, the Hamadan Air Base, Qom, Isfahan, the Central Province, and Kermanshah. The primary objective of the operation was to achieve air superiority. To this end, Israeli forces systematically destroyed or suppressed multiple Iranian air defense system positions, including SA-63, SA-68, SA-69 (S-300 derivatives), and SA-71. Notably, years of Israeli preparation included smuggling precision weapons and control systems into Iran, enabling Mossad operatives to establish drone bases to attack missile launchers and air defense systems from within.

A key tactical achievement of this operation was the precise decapitation of Iran's military command structure and nuclear scientific elite. Confirmed senior fatalities include Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces; Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force; Gholam Ali Rashid, Commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Command; as well as nuclear scientist Fereydoon Abbasi and physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. The report cites sources stating that part of Israel's actions aimed to lure senior Iranian leaders into gatherings for efficient strikes. This severely disrupted the Iranian leadership's ability to coordinate defensive or retaliatory actions.

After gaining air superiority, Israel's subsequent strike waves focused on attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, inflicting severe damage on the Natanz nuclear facility. Concurrently, Iran launched retaliation several hours later, firing 100 drones towards Israel, but failed to cause significant damage, with the majority intercepted by Israeli forces and their partners. The report specifically notes that, unlike the attacks in April and October 2024, Iran did not launch any ballistic missiles in this retaliation. Analysis suggests possible reasons include: Israeli strikes severely degrading its launch capability, the elimination of key commanders causing command and control disruption, or Iran's intentional preservation of missile strength for the future.

The report further analyzes changes in the regional strategic landscape. Israel's actions are believed to have severely weakened Iran's "Ring of Fire" proxy network, particularly devastating the leadership, combatants, and capabilities of Hamas and Hezbollah, eliminating their role as a "second-strike" deterrent against Israel. Currently, the Houthis are the only Iranian proxy still actively firing on Israel. Furthermore, Israel's strike operations received close coordination from the U.S. military and other partners, with the U.S. potentially reconstituting the temporary air defense alliance that played a key role in April 2024.

Finally, the report uses charts to compare the significant increase in the number of Israeli strike targets (at least 400% more than the October 2024 attack) and the continuing downward trend in the number of Iranian attack projectiles. It also points out that Iran's retaliatory methods have shifted from relying solely on ballistic missiles to exclusively using drones. This analysis integrates operational details, strategic assessments, and data trends, providing a key framework for professional readers to understand this high-intensity, multi-dimensional conflict event and its potential long-term implications.