The Israeli military has confirmed that several of its airbases were hit during a large-scale ballistic missile assault launched by Iran, marking a significant escalation in an already tense Middle East. According to reports from Israeli media, the strikes, which occurred on Tuesday night, caused damage to office buildings and maintenance areas at some airbases. Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), a state-run Turkish media organization reported this development today.
Despite the attacks, Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon without disruption. The missile barrage from Iran, consisting of around 400 ballistic missiles, triggered a defensive response from both Israeli and U.S. air defense systems.
Satellite images released on Wednesday indicate that the Iranian strikes caused damage at multiple Israeli military facilities. Photos from Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, home to the advanced F-35 fighter jets, show substantial damage, including a hole in the roof of a hangar and debris scattered across the site. It remains uncertain whether any aircraft were impacted.
An investigation by the open-source collective Bellingcat further revealed that multiple warheads landed near key airbases, such as Nevatim in the south and Tel Nof in central Israel. Footage from Tel Nof suggests possible secondary explosions, likely from fuel or ammunition being struck.
In northern Tel Aviv, some warheads reportedly landed close to the Mossad intelligence headquarters, though no significant damage was reported. Video footage shows a large crater approximately 500 yards from the agency’s offices.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the strikes, stating they had deployed their Fattah missiles, which they say can reach speeds of up to Mach 15, presenting a significant challenge to Israeli defense systems. However, Israeli military officials downplayed the effectiveness of these missiles, citing a substantial number of interceptions, thanks in part to support from the U.S.
Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, pledged a decisive response in a video statement: “Iran fired approximately 200 missiles at the State of Israel… We will retaliate. We know how to locate key targets, and we know how to strike them with precision and force.”
Despite the relatively limited damage, the missile strikes have tested Israel’s air defense systems. While the Iron Dome is effective against shorter-range rockets fired by groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, Iranian ballistic missiles, which travel at near-hypersonic speeds and briefly exit the atmosphere, pose a much greater threat. Israel’s Arrow defense system, designed for such attacks, has fewer interceptors than the Iron Dome, making these threats more challenging to neutralize.
As tensions continue to rise, Israel is reportedly preparing for a retaliatory strike on Iranian targets. Israeli military and political leaders are currently weighing their options. Meanwhile, Iran, claiming that its missile assault was in retaliation for Israeli assassinations of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian officials, warned that any further Israeli action would result in severe consequences.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
