Israeli fighter jets struck military targets across Iran early Sunday, following a missile attack on Israel by Iran’s armed forces.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its jets destroyed two Iranian F-5 fighter aircraft at Dezful Airbase in Khuzestan Province. The aircraft, part of Iran’s old U.S.-made fleet from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, were shown in IDF-released footage being hit while on the ground.
Israeli Air Force airstrike on a fueling and armed Iranian F-5 fighter at Dezful airbase earlier today. pic.twitter.com/1TNDvOaSK7
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 22, 2025
According to Defence Blog, Iran’s aging F-5 fighter jets were first acquired during the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reported that Israeli warplanes had also destroyed three Iranian F-14 Tomcat jets during the operation.
According to Defence Blog, the F-14s were supplied to Iran by the United States before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and are now among the rarest fighter jets still in active service worldwide. The news outlet said the U.S. retired the F-14 in 2006 and Iran is believed to be the only country continuing to operate them.
The IDF said additional targets included eight Iranian missile launchers, six of them were loaded and ready to fire, weapons storage areas, explosives production sites, air defense systems, and military infrastructure at Isfahan Airport.
The announcement of the Israeli strikes came just hours after Iran launched missiles into northern and central Israel, injuring 86 people. These Iranian missile attacks came in response to U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
