Israel says 200 fighters struck Iran in the largest air operation in its history

• Israel said 200 fighter jets participated in its airstrikes against Iran on Saturday.
• It marked what Israel said was the “largest” air operation in its history.
• The strikes were carried out alongside US forces and triggered retaliation from Iran.

Roughly 200 fighter jets participated in Israel’s widespread airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, the Israeli military said, calling the attack the largest air operation in its history.

The Israeli fighter jets dropped hundreds of bombs on 500 targets in western and central Iran, including air defense systems and missile launchers, the military said in a statement. The government earlier announced it had carried out a “preemptive” strike.

Attacks on the defensive systems — a tactic known as suppression of enemy air defenses, or SEAD — allowed Israel to expand its aerial superiority over Iranian territory, the military added.

“This is the largest military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force,” it said, adding that the operation was based on extensive planning and “high-quality intelligence.”

The strikes involved Israeli F-35 stealth fighters and F-15 jets. The full extent of the aircraft that participated is unclear.

Israeli warplanes attacked Iran alongside the US military. President Donald Trump described the American involvement as the start of “major combat operations” after nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington broke down.

A US official told Business Insider that American air, land, and naval forces were involved in the strikes against Iran and launched drones, rocket artillery, and cruise missiles, among other weapons.

US fighter aircraft also participated in the attacks, which targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields, the American military said.

Hundreds of Iranians have been killed and wounded in strikes so far, according to multiple reports.

Iran retaliated by launching waves of missiles against Israel and US bases across the Middle East, sending the region into an air defense frenzy.

US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said its forces “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”

Several Middle Eastern countries confirmed shooting down Iranian missiles as well, though some projectiles managed to slip past air defenses. CENTCOM said there are no reports of US casualties, nor has there been significant damage to American facilities.

Saturday’s strikes mark the second time in less than a year that the US has attacked Iran. American forces bombed the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 as part of Operation Midnight Hammer.

They also follow a steady buildup of US military forces in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, including more than a dozen warships and hundreds of aircraft.