The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force issued a statement declaring the beginning of a 'decisive and deterrent direct response' to the enemy. The threat follows an earlier Israeli strike on Iranian sovereignty. The IRGC did not specify the timing, targets, or method of the response.
At around 22:40 UTC on June 10, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force issued a statement declaring the start of a 'decisive and deterrent direct response' to the enemy. The announcement comes minutes after the IRGC Aerospace Force, at 22:26 UTC, announced it was launching waves of ballistic missiles, guided missiles, and drones toward central Israeli cities, including the Gush Dan metropolitan area, as The Zioneer reported at the time. The Air Force's parallel declaration appears to reinforce the regime's commitment to a multi-domain retaliation, though it provided no specific details on targets, timing, or the nature of its own involvement.
The thread of escalation unfolded rapidly over the past day. At 16:30 UTC on June 10, the IRGC warned it might shift from a defensive posture to attack to lift the naval blockade on Iran. By 21:35 UTC, IRGC missile units were placed on operational readiness. This led to the first official threat of an imminent ballistic missile and drone wave at 22:26 UTC, followed by a direct threat against the Tel Aviv metro area relayed via IRGC-linked sources. The Aerospace Force's announcement of active launches at 22:26 UTC was the first actionable claim of an ongoing attack. The Air Force's separate declaration now adds a second military branch to the official response narrative.
Earlier antecedents contextualize the threat landscape. On June 7, IRGC officials vowed retaliation after an Israeli strike on an IRGC air base, as The Zioneer reported at 19:49 UTC. On June 8, an IRGC spokesperson claimed a 'significant offensive operation' against Israeli targets, though details remained unverified. The Zioneer also reported on June 9 at 22:30 UTC that the IRGC Air Force vowed a 'significant response' to hostile actions — a pledge that now appears to be entering its execution phase.
At this stage, the IRGC Air Force's declaration remains a single-source claim from a state-aligned military wing. Independent corroboration of an active IRGC Air Force attack — as distinct from the Aerospace Force's missile and drone launches — is not available. The IRGC has not specified what assets or targets the Air Force itself will employ, or how this phase relates to the broader operation. Explosions reported in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, and a reported missile strike on the US Al-Harir base in Erbil (as noted in the Aerospace Force's announcement) remain unverified by independent sources.
5 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake