Israeli pilot and navigator reveal inside story of unprecedented strikes against Iran’s ‘existential threat’

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FIRST ON FOX — As U.S. forces launched their strikes connected Iran’s atomic facilities, Israeli pilots had already been successful the skies — carrying retired missions they saw arsenic captious not lone to Israel’s security, but to the wider effort to face the regime's planetary threat.

In an exclusive interrogation with Fox News Digital, 2 Israeli Air Force (IAF) members — a pistillate combat formation navigator and a aviator whose identities are not being revealed for information reasons — offered a rare, firsthand relationship of Israel’s historical aerial run against Iran.

The operation, they said, is not lone a combat for nationalist survival, but a broader ngo to face planetary threats.

"Over the past days, we've been conducting precise and determined operations against the existential menace posed by the Iranian authorities — from occidental Iran to the bosom of Tehran," the pistillate combat navigator said.

"We've achieved aerial superiority, neutralizing captious infrastructure and eliminating implicit a 3rd of Iran's rocket capabilities. Every ngo we alert is aimed astatine 1 goal, protecting the State of Israel and ensuring the information of its citizens. We volition proceed to enactment anytime, anywhere, to support our home."

ISRAEL'S 'RESOUNDING' MILITARY CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN COULD BE HISTORIC TURNING POINT, EXPERTS SAY

massive plume of fume  and occurrence  emergence  from a region  successful  confederate  Tehran

A monolithic plume of fume and occurrence emergence from an lipid refinery successful confederate Tehran pursuing reports that an overnight Israeli onslaught targeted the tract connected June 15, 2025. (ATTA KENARE/AFP)

The run began with a massive preemptive strike, triggered by Israeli quality assessments that Iran’s increasing rocket deployments and advancing atomic programme posed an contiguous danger. Within hours, the Israeli Air Force launched a coordinated question of attacks crossed Iran, targeting strategical subject and atomic sites.

So far, the IAF has achieved implicit aerial superiority, allowing its jets to transportation retired heavy strikes without meaningful resistance. Dozens of Israeli combatant jets person struck implicit 1,000 high-value targets, according to Israeli defence officials. Among the astir captious were portion of the Natanz uranium enrichment site, long-range rocket depots adjacent Hamedan, drone accumulation and bid centers successful Shiraz, IRGC office successful Tehran and blase Russian-made aerial defence systems, including the S-300 and S-400 batteries.

Speaking from an undisclosed base, the IAF aviator described the ngo arsenic some profoundly operational and profoundly personal.

massive plume of fume  and occurrence  emergence  from a region  successful  confederate  Tehran

A monolithic plume of fume rises from an lipid refinery successful confederate Tehran aft reports of an overnight Israeli onslaught targeted the tract June 15, 2025. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

TRUMP TO MAKE IRAN DECISION 'WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS' GIVEN 'CHANCE' OF NEGOTIATIONS, LEAVITT SAYS

"During this full operation, we've been striking a batch of missiles that were aimed towards Israel and its civilians," helium said. "It fills america with a consciousness of fulfillment and purpose, knowing we’re taking retired capabilities that the Iranians person to people civilians — our families, our homes."

Inside the cockpit, helium said, determination is nary country for hesitation. 

"There aren't immoderate large feelings successful the cockpit. It's the mission. You're precise minded towards it," helium said. "The mode backmost is simply a small much escaped to deliberation and to speech with a pilot, but, overall, you're very, precise focused connected doing the ngo and making definite you don't bash immoderate mistakes — that you're doing precisely arsenic planned."

Map of Israeli strikes connected  Iran

An FDD representation shows a selected database of targets deed by Israel since the commencement of the warfare against Iran. (FDD)

Although the campaign’s contiguous nonsubjective is the defence of Israeli citizens, the aviator emphasized that the stakes are global. 

"Israel is present fighting the combat of the Western satellite and Western civilization, taking retired the caput of the snake and dealing with a menace that’s been imminent for the full world," helium said.

"Whether it's panic operations abroad, ballistic missiles oregon threats to ships successful the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, we’re warring a warfare for the full world. But, archetypal and foremost, we are warring for our home."

He pointed to Iran’s repeated calls for Israel’s demolition arsenic wide justification for the operation. 

"They had missiles pointed astatine us, their atomic programme was aimed astatine us. They've been saying it openly — successful speeches, connected societal media — they privation to destruct us," helium said. "If it wasn't for the preemptive onslaught that we took, they would person been capable to fulfill that menace successful a fewer years."

IAF combatant  pitchy  taking off

An Israeli combatant pitchy taking disconnected from Israel connected its mode to onslaught targets successful Iran. (IDF)

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For both, the ngo is not lone strategic, but profoundly patriotic. 

"There’s a wide nexus betwixt what we’re doing and the information of the State of Israel," the aviator added. "We’re destroying precision missiles aimed astatine our hospitals, astatine our homes. The atomic programme was aimed toward us. Personally, it’s a precise bully feeling to instrumentality portion successful this. But it’s besides humbling to beryllium portion of specified a immense cognition — this full instrumentality — the Israeli Air Force and the federation lasting together."

Efrat Lachter is an investigative newsman and warfare correspondent. Her enactment has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan. She is simply a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter tin beryllium followed connected X @efratlachter.

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