The humiliating way Israel achieved air superiority in Iran during the 12-Day War
The Israel-Iran War, also known as the 12-Day War in some circles, began on June 13, 2025, as Israeli fighters began surprise attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Their targets weren't limited to bases and enrichment centers. The IAF struck Iran's air defenses, key military and civilian leaders, and nuclear scientists. In the first day alone, some 200 fighters hit 100 targets across the country.
'We achieved full control of the Iranian skies and every location we chose to operate in. This was made possible in part thanks to the joint efforts and subterfuge of our air forces and commandos on the ground,' Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a June 2025 press conference. 'These forces operated covertly in the heart of enemy territory, securing operational freedom of action.'
Zamir was the first Israeli official to publicly admit that Israel had troops deployed inside Iranian territory. Along with Mossad, the commandos sabotaged Iranian air defense systems and missile launchers. Other operatives were able to set up a covert drone base located just outside of Tehran, an installation that allowed the Israelis to smuggle precision weapons and commandos inside the country. These drones targeted surface-to-surface missiles that Iran would have fired back toward Israel.
The precision weapons and commandos smuggled into the Islamic Republic are what allowed Israel to operate so freely in Iranian airspace during those 12 days in June. Air Superiority was established almost immediately. Some 30 Iranian generals and nine nuclear scientists were killed in the first minutes of the air assault.
It was 'groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while totally evading the eyes of local intelligence,' an unnamed Israeli official told the Times of Israel after the 12-Day War.
Israel also struck nuclear sites across Iran, including a centrifuge workshop in Isfahan, the nuclear facility at Natanz, and the Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant. The United States also struck the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
Iran and its allies and proxies were still able to fire hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than a thousand explosive drones toward Israel in retaliation for the strikes. Iran also claims to have captured dozens of drones and hundreds of Mossad operatives in the days since the June 24, 2025 ceasefire was announced.
Despite the overwhelming effort, air superiority, and combined firepower of the United States and Israel, Iran's ability to enrich uranium, along with its nuclear stockpile, is far from destroyed. The Pentagon said the 12-Day War instead set Iran's nuclear program back by two years.
'The Iranian nuclear project suffered a hard, broad and deep blow and sets it back by years,' Zamir added to his televised statement. 'The campaign is not yet finished. We must remain on guard – many challenges await.'
We Are The Mighty is a celebration of military service, with a mission to entertain, inform, and inspire those who serve and those who support them. We are made by and for current service members, veterans, spouses, family members, and civilians who want to be part of this community. Keep up with the best in military culture and entertainment: subscribe to the We Are The Mighty newsletter.
Wounded Ukrainian soldiers with bionic arms want to return to the front lines
Someone once hacked Iran's nuclear program using AC/DC songs on full blast
That time a Marine general led a fictional Iran against the US military – and won
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Stephen Colbert cancellation opens a door for college football and CBS
The cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert signals the end of late-night talk shows as we have known them. There are many ways in which one can assign meaning to the news which grabbed headlines on Thursday, but the bigger overall reality is that late-night talk just isn't hitting the sweet spot for CBS and other networks. Maybe it's simply a case of today's personalities not being as good or as funny as Johnny Carson or David Letterman, but regardless, the late-night talk-show concept seems to be on the way out. This does open the door for college football in the media landscape, particularly at CBS. Before continuing with this article, stop and realize how dramatically different college football has become in just the past few years. Oklahoma and Texas have moved to the SEC. Four West Coast schools moved to the Big Ten. Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, and Arizona moved to the Big 12. The Pac-12 as we knew it is gone. The College Football Playoff moved from four teams to 12. This is enough change for 20 years. It has been squeezed into four years. If you think that doing something different -- making a big change -- is disorienting or somehow inappropriate, stop and realize how much change you have already had to digest in just a few years. One more big change isn't going to hurt anything, and as you will soon find out, it might be really enjoyable: CBS programming CBS Sports has media rights deals with the Pac-12 and the Mountain West. We are not going to say or imply these are major or "power" conferences. They're not. However, they are the two primary conferences with Pacific and Mountain time zone schools. CBS -- before even mentioning the Stephen Colbert cancellation -- was already in a position to more aggressively feature Pac-12 and Mountain West sports programming. Colbert's demise and late-night irrelevance Johnny Carson and David Lettermen both flourished in an age when there were far fewer cable channels and the media landscape wasn't nearly as fragmented. Stephen Colbert's exit from the late-night stage reflects the waning influence and cultural relevance of the late-night talk show format and concept. This is a steady erosion of a particular kind of TV programming. It's not as though CBS is likely to replace a fading talk show with another talk show. CBS needs a real alternative. The enduring power of sports on TV In an age when so many media properties and specific forms of television programming have lost their popularity and their ability to achieve cultural penetration, live sports remains an eye-grabber. Instead of scripted content, live sports offers the original version of reality TV. Sports will continue to have a meaningful place in any media universe or ecosystem. If media companies are looking for alternatives to less relevant forms of content or inventory, live sports offer a natural and ever-present answer. Not just Thursdays or Fridays Typically, the two weeknights with regular college football programming are Thursday and Friday. CBS Sports Network regularly has a Friday night Mountain West football game. Stephen Colbert's exit, and the larger overall decline of the late-night talk show, give CBS a real chance to think about using Mountain West football as a regular late-night programming option -- not just on Thursdays and Fridays. Yes, you know where this is going, but there's an important note to emphasize here. Western Maction This is the basic concept attached to CBS having a late-night Mountain West or Pac-12 football game Tuesdays through Fridays during each college football season, as a replacement for talk shows such as Stephen Colbert. ESPN has media rights for the Mid-American Conference. "Maction" has become a cult favorite among college football diehards. The MAC gets the stage to itself on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in November. CBS is in a position to basically provide Maction on a larger scale in two conferences, not just one. The Mountain West and Pac-12 can achieve more visibility for their product by stuffing the schedule with Tuesday and Wednesday games. CBS can instantly fill the yawning gap in its late-night schedule. College football fans win big In November, we could have ESPN Maction at 8 p.m. Eastern time, followed by CBS Western late-night football -- Mountain West or Pac-12 -- at 11 or 11:30 p.m. Eastern. November Group of Five Tuesday night doubleheaders? Who says no? Fans win. The future of college football scheduling With the arrival of the 12-team College Football Playoff, teams need to have more space between games. Having games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays gives teams more days between games. A team would play one game on Saturday, October 15, then its next game on Tuesday, October 25, then its next game on Saturday, November 5. Maction-style scheduling in the West gives teams more recuperation time between games in addition to increased TV exposure. The mistakes of the old Pac-12 The Pac-12 is now something completely different from the older iteration. The old Pac-12 never really pounced on the idea of playing football on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Had it done so, it might have given ESPN a little more incentive to sweeten the pot for an attractive media rights package which could have kept the league intact. The new Pac-12 and the reconfigured Mountain West need to be open to new ways of presenting themselves on TV. The cancellation of the Stephen Colbert program could give CBS some ideas. The Pac-12 and Mountain West should be on the phone with the network now. Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Iraq makes ‘decisive findings' about drone attacks without identifying who targeted its bases
BAGHDAD (AP) — Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the 'decisive findings' of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing U.S. troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached 'decisive findings.' He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entities responsible for coordinating and executing the operations, but he did not name them. 'Legal measures will be taken against all those involved, and they will be referred to the Iraqi judiciary to be held accountable in accordance with the law,' the statement said. Before the drone attacks, Iran-backed Iraqi militias had previously threatened to target American bases if the U.S. attacked Iran. Some of the militias are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces , a coalition of armed groups that is officially under the command of the Iraqi military, although in practice they largely act independently. More recently, several oil fields in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region have come under attack by drones, further exacerbating tensions between the central government and Kurdish authorities and raising concerns over the security of Iraq's critical infrastructure. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mamdani walks back ‘globalize the intifada' stance during NYC business meeting
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told business leaders during a closed-door meeting this week that he would not use the slogan "Globalize the Intifada" and would discourage others from using it moving forward, Fox News has confirmed. After months of refusing to condemn the anti-Israel rallying cry, which, according to the American Jewish Committee, "calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel," Mamdani told more than 140 business leaders that a conversation with a Jewish woman about how this phrase triggers memories of terrible incidents changed his mind. The New York Times first reported Mamdani's comments on Tuesday following his meeting with business leaders at the Partnership for New York City at the offices of Tishman Speyer in Rockefeller Center. Down in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, at another closed-door meeting hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., about how to run a successful digital campaign, condemnation of the phrase was absent from conversations among national Democratic leaders who attended. 'Globalize The Intifada' Phrase Stirs Tensions On Nyc Campaign Trail As Middle East Conflict Rages When asked by Fox News if there was a discussion about Mamdani's new discouragement of the phrase, Ocasio-Cortez said, "No, that did not come up." Read On The Fox News App Several Democratic lawmakers confirmed Mamdani didn't share specifics about his radical policy agenda for New York City, but instead shared his insights on running an effective digital campaign with a focus on affordability. 'Existential Threat': Jewish Leaders Warn Of Nyc 'Mass Exodus' If Zohran Mamdani Wins In November A visibly frustrated Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie that Mamdani "didn't even talk about" the phrase during the breakfast. "I'll have that discussion with him later, but it didn't come up. But I mean, I know a whole lot of people that care deeply about Israel that also are very worried about watching children die of starvation," she said. Reps. André Carson, D-Ill., and Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., also confirmed the topic did not come up. The slogan "Globalize the Intifada" has stirred up tension within the Democratic Party since Mamdani was asked by The Bulwark podcast host Tim Miller if the phrase made him uncomfortable. Mamdani said he doesn't support the policing or banning of language when repeatedly asked by journalists if he would condemn the phrase. Unsurprisingly, his competitor in the mayoral race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined the chorus of Jewish advocates and coalitions who criticized Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase. "That is not only wrong, it is dangerous," Cuomo said in a statement soon after the viral clip. "There are no two sides here," he added. But as Mamdani walks back his position on others using the phrase—popular among the pro-Palestine protests that have erupted at Columbia University and other college campuses as Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza rages on—national Democrats have begun to weigh in on the controversial slogan. Ocasio-Cortez, an early endorser of Mamdani's campaign, told Fox News' Chad Pergram on Wednesday that Mamdani shared critical insights about how to "level up all of our games in terms of technique" during the "Communication and Organizing Skillshare Breakfast" in Washington on Wednesday. While several national Democratic leaders have come out in support of Mamdani—including Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary—outstanding skeptics have not endorsed the 33-year-old candidate. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have confirmed plans to meet with Mamdani in New York City later this week, but both top Democrats have yet to formally endorse the self-described Democratic socialist. Ocasio-Cortez also urged those with outstanding questions about Mamdani to "get to know him" before "making assessments from what you may see on television." She applauded her caucus for "showing up in good faith" on Wednesday to give him a fair chance and demonstrating a "willingness to listen and make assessments for themselves." Mamdani's campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment. Fox News' Olivia Patel, Bryan Llenas, Tyler Olson, Chad Pergram and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report. Original article source: Mamdani walks back 'globalize the intifada' stance during NYC business meeting
