IAF chief says air superiority was achieved over Tehran for the first time during Operation Rising Lion

The commander of the Israel Air Force has publicly acknowledged for the first time that Israeli jets achieved air superiority over the Iranian capital, Tehran, during Operation Rising Lion, Israel's 2025 air campaign against Iran. In his remarks, the commander said the IAF had moved beyond localized strikes to sustained operations deep inside Iranian territory — the first formal Israeli account of the operational scale and depth the mission reached.

Strategic Air Superiority

Air superiority — the state in which one side's air forces are so dominant that the opponent cannot effectively interfere — is a critical milestone in any modern military campaign. By describing that status over Tehran, the commander indicated that Iranian air-defense systems, including the Russian-made S-300 and domestic variants, had been sufficiently suppressed or bypassed to give Israeli aircraft freedom of movement over the Islamic Republic's most sensitive sites. The account aligns with earlier reports of IAF activity against radar systems and missile sites in provinces such as Kermanshah and Lorestan.

Context of Operation Rising Lion

Operation Rising Lion was launched following a period of heightened tensions and direct missile exchanges between the two nations. While initial reporting focused on retaliatory strikes against military infrastructure, the commander's account points to a far broader mandate. His acknowledgment of sustained operations indicates that the IAF did not merely conduct "in-and-out" sorties but maintained a persistent presence to monitor, target, and degrade Iranian strategic capabilities over the course of the campaign.

Analysis and Outlook

The public confirmation serves as both a military disclosure and a psychological signal to the Iranian leadership. That the IAF was able to operate openly over Tehran points to a high level of confidence in Israeli electronic-warfare and stealth capabilities. It also renews scrutiny of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which had threatened "surprises" in response to Israeli incursions. The commander's decision to detail the operation now raises the question of how the disclosure will shape Iran's efforts to rebuild its air defenses, and whether the demonstrated air dominance will be invoked to support further diplomatic or military objectives.