Gilan, Iran – The Israeli army used a whole bunch of fighter jets, armed drones and refuelling planes to assault Iran throughout its 12-day war backed by the United States, nevertheless it was additionally closely assisted by operations launched from deep inside Iranian soil.
Simply hours after the Israeli military and Mossad spy company began their assaults earlier than daybreak on June 13, they launched footage that appeared to have been recorded at evening from undisclosed areas inside Iran.
One grainy video confirmed Mossad operatives, camouflaged and carrying tactical gear together with night-vision goggles, crouched in what regarded like desert terrain, deploying weapons that aimed to destroy Iran’s air defence methods to assist pave the way in which for incoming assault plane.
Others confirmed projectiles, with mounted cameras, descending to slam into Iranian missile defence batteries, in addition to ballistic missile platforms. The projectiles gave the impression to be Spike missiles – comparatively small, precision-guided anti-armour missiles that may be programmed to fly to targets which can be out of their line of sight.
Iranian authorities additionally confirmed using the weapons, with state media exhibiting photos of remnants of customised Spike missile launchers that have been found in a single open space. They mentioned the weapons have been geared up with “internet-based automation and remote-controlled methods” and have been operated by “terrorist Mossad brokers”.
The transfer partly echoed an Israeli operation in November 2020 that killed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a senior determine in Iran’s nuclear programme, who was gunned down in a metropolis close to Tehran whereas transferring in a car together with his spouse and bodyguards. Iranian authorities on the time confirmed that the assassination was carried out utilizing remote-controlled and synthetic intelligence-guided gear, with Israeli media reporting {that a} one-tonne gun was smuggled into Iran in pieces by Mossad and mounted on the again of a pick-up truck, which exploded after Fakhrizadeh was killed.
Iran executed three males on Wednesday morning within the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan, accused of being concerned in Fakhrizadeh’s demise and different assassinations.
Drone manufacturing inside Iran
Israel additionally seems to have used numerous explosives-laden small drones and quadcopters throughout the 12-day battle to overwhelm Iranian defences as a part of its multipronged assault operations.
Iranian media reported all through the battle that air defences throughout the nation have been activated to counter the small drones, in addition to bigger military-grade counterparts just like the Hermes 900, a number of of which Iran claimed to have shot down. Nonetheless, the precise variety of drones launched and the way profitable they have been in hitting their targets can’t be corroborated by Al Jazeera.
The smaller drones attracted numerous consideration and compelled authorities to muster large-scale search operations to neutralise them, as Israeli warplanes dropped extra bombs throughout the nation and US President Donald Trump briefly rhetorically backed the possibility of regime change.
Quickly, authorities discovered pick-up vehicles with customised cargo beds that have been made to accommodate small, pre-programmed drones that they mentioned could possibly be pushed near their supposed targets earlier than launching. Such a method has been used efficiently elsewhere as properly, together with at the beginning of June when Ukraine managed to destroy as a lot as a 3rd of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet on the tarmac of four airfields deep inside Russian territory.
Iranian authorities organised search events, notably at evening, consisting of safety forces who patrolled the streets on bikes or autos to search for any suspicious vehicles or motion. Armed and masked safety forces additionally arrange numerous roadblocks and checkpoints in sprawling Tehran and throughout the nation, together with in northern provinces the place millions travelled after fleeing the capital, which generally stopped and searched pick-up vehicles with coated cargo beds.
After what the Israelis mentioned have been years of preparations, their operatives seem to have been capable of arrange small manufacturing strains of the unmanned autos inside Iran.
One such operation was found in Shahr-e Rey in southern Tehran, the place state media mentioned a three-storey constructing was devoted to churning out drones, selfmade bombs and a big quantity of explosives.
Safety forces positioned a clandestine drone-manufacturing web site in Shahr-e Rey, south of Tehran.
The three flooring constructing, was utilized by Israeli brokers to assemble and retailer UAVs supposed for terrorists operations.
Officers additionally discovered selfmade bombs and over 200 kg of explosives. pic.twitter.com/wrZz1vc12x— Tasnim Information Company (@Tasnimnews_EN) June 15, 2025
State tv additionally confirmed one other comparable operation, wherein six Iranian “Mossad brokers” have been assembling quadcopters with small bombs connected underneath them, in addition to bombs with timers, grenades and different weapons. There have been additionally reviews of autos planted with explosives, however there was no official affirmation by Iranian authorities.
A few of the arrested suspects have been proven confessing on state tv with their palms certain and their eyes coated. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohsen-Ejei and Tehran’s public prosecutor Ali Salehi personally interrogated one unnamed suspect on state tv, who mentioned he tried to movie air defences for the Mossad from rooftops.
‘We’re all underneath surveillance’
The Israeli army’s chief of employees, Eyal Zamir, confirmed in a video assertion on Wednesday that commando forces “operated covertly deep in enemy territory and carried out operations that granted us operational freedom of motion”. He didn’t say whether or not he was referring to the commandos proven at the beginning of the operation on the primary evening or different potential operations.
Iranian officers haven’t immediately commented on claimed Israeli commando operations from inside Iranian territory.
However authorities proceed to announce dozens of arrests throughout Iran in relation to collaboration with Israel and the US, and have to date executed at least six people accused of collaborating because the begin of the battle.
Israeli intelligence operations inside Iran are believed to have been a significant contributor to the success of the June 13 shock assaults that began the battle, which killed numerous prime army commanders and nuclear scientists whereas additionally incapacitating some air defences and hitting missile launch websites in an effort to restrict Iran’s retaliation.
Large cyberattacks launched by pro-Israel hacking teams additionally quickly took down two of the nation’s greatest banks, in addition to the nation’s largest cryptocurrency trade.
An undated video circulated by state-linked media this week confirmed Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the assassinated head of the important aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying throughout a speech that “we’re all underneath surveillance” by Mossad by means of cellphones and different communications gadgets.
Hajizadeh, who was killed whereas holding a gathering with a number of other top aerospace commanders in an underground bunker in or round Tehran, urged others to train warning and switch off and periodically substitute their cellphones throughout the speech.
As a part of their response to the Israeli offensive, Iranian authorities additionally reduce off web entry, at one level choking off 97 % of the large nation’s connectivity, in line with NetBlocks web observatory. It was one of the complete internet blackouts ever imposed in Iran – and sure wherever else on the earth.
The restrictions imposed throughout the battle have been principally lifted by Thursday, two days after a ceasefire introduced by Trump took impact.
