The United States and Israel have launched a significant joint air campaign against Iran, marking a new era of military coordination and strategy in modern warfare.
A massive joint air campaign by the United States and Israel is dismantling Iran’s missile network, described by officials and analysts as one of the most coordinated allied operations in modern warfare. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the campaign is rapidly establishing dominance over Iranian airspace. “Starting last night and to be completed in a few days… the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies,” Hegseth declared on Wednesday. “Uncontested airspace.”
He emphasized the operational intensity, saying, “We will fly all day, all night… flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital… Iranian leaders are looking up and seeing only U.S. and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it’s over.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin remarked on the extraordinary cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli militaries. “The cooperation between us and the American military is amazing. We have mutual planning and mutual executing for the plans in Iran and beyond,” Defrin said.
John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, noted that Israel effectively matched the U.S. military’s opening airpower surge. “Israel matched the United States in the number of aircraft in the air,” Spencer explained. “For Israel, that represents roughly 80% of its air force capability.” He added that the level of coordination between Washington and Jerusalem represents a new model for allied warfare. “This isn’t separate work. This is combined work. Integrated, synchronized operations combining powers.”
Spencer highlighted the rarity of such a partnership, stating, “In the past we’ve had coalitions of dozens of countries. But having a partner that is both willing and capable of bringing immense capabilities like this is very rare.”
The Israeli campaign, known as Operation Roaring Lion, commenced with approximately 200 fighter jets, marking the largest coordinated air operation in the history of the Israeli Air Force. Within the first 24 hours, Israeli fighter jets had opened a corridor allowing sustained operations over Tehran, according to the Israeli military.
Israeli aircraft targeted missile launch sites and air defense systems across western and central Iran in an initial wave that struck hundreds of sites simultaneously, utilizing intelligence gathered by Israel’s Intelligence Directorate and the CIA. The joint operation saw Israeli aircraft dropping hundreds of munitions on around 500 targets, including missile launchers, command centers, and air defense batteries.
The opening strike achieved a level of surprise rarely seen in modern warfare, as noted by Israeli intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder. “In 40 seconds, we eliminated more than 40 of the most important people in Iran,” Binder stated, referring to senior regime and military officials, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “We are sending a clear message to our enemies — there is no place where we will not find them.”
Spencer remarked that the strategy behind the opening strike represents a dramatic shift in modern warfare. “What Israel did in this opening campaign just wasn’t imaginable in the history of war. It never happened,” he said. “To start off by cutting off the brain… usually, you target the military first. Here they targeted the political and military leadership and had the ability to wipe them out in a matter of hours.”
Reflecting on his experience as a veteran of the 2003 Iraq War, Spencer noted, “I was part of the invasion in 2003. Something like this was unthinkable even 20 years ago.”
An IDF spokesperson announced a historic milestone on Wednesday: an Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian aircraft, marking the first time an F-35 has downed a manned aircraft globally and the first time in 40 years that an Israeli aircraft has shot down an enemy aircraft in combat.
Since the operation began, Israeli aircraft have conducted over 1,600 sorties and deployed more than 5,000 munitions, according to figures released on Wednesday. The strikes have reportedly destroyed around 300 missile launchers and targeted more than 600 Iranian military infrastructure sites, according to the IDF.
Israeli intelligence assessments prior to the operation indicated that Iran was accelerating its ballistic missile production, with plans to reach 8,000 missiles by 2027. At the start of the campaign, Israel estimated that Iran possessed roughly 3,000 missiles. The strikes have already prevented the production of at least 1,500 ballistic missiles while destroying hundreds already in Iran’s arsenal, according to the IDF. Israeli officials assert that the missile program poses a direct threat not only to Israel but also to American forces and allies in the region. “The possession of missiles by a regime that openly declares its intent to destroy the State of Israel constitutes an existential threat,” the IDF stated.
As the conflict escalates, six U.S. service members have been killed, and several others injured during Operation Epic Fury. In Israel, 13 civilians had been killed as of Wednesday night, with more than 1,000 injured in Iranian missile and drone attacks launched in response to the operation, according to Israeli emergency services. The United Arab Emirates has reported three deaths and 68 injuries since the conflict began.
Precise casualty figures in Iran remain difficult to verify. Media reports indicate that dozens of senior Iranian commanders were killed in the opening phase of the campaign, along with additional military personnel and civilians following strikes on military facilities and infrastructure.
As the conflict expands beyond Iran, Israeli forces have struck more than 160 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in recent days. To sustain the multifront campaign, Israel has mobilized approximately 110,000 reservists.
“Wars are contests of will,” Spencer said. “Iran’s strategy is to break the will of the United States and Israel to continue the operation. The question is whether they can endure the pressure long enough to make that happen,” according to Fox News.