Israel continued its military campaign against Iran overnight Saturday, striking key missile infrastructure and aircraft, while Tehran launched repeated ballistic missile salvos at Israel and issued new threats against European countries.
Israeli Strikes on Iran
The Israel Defense Forces said that more than 80 air force fighter jets carried out strikes overnight on several Iranian military sites in Tehran and central Iran, dropping around 230 bombs.
Among the targets was a subterranean site “for the storage and production of ballistic missiles,” which the IDF said operated with hundreds of Iranian soldiers. The site also contained bunkers and military headquarters.
The IDF also struck another missile storage site, including bunkers and launch infrastructure, as well as Imam Hossein University, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military academy. The military stated the university “served as an emergency asset and an assembly complex for the IRGC,” including during the current conflict.
The military said it was ramping up strikes on Iran’s weapon production facilities, including those used to manufacture missiles and launchers.
Earlier, footage showed strikes and large fires at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, after the Israeli military said it was carrying out an “extensive” wave of strikes against targets in the capital.
The IDF confirmed it had attacked the airport, destroying 16 aircraft used by the IRGC Quds Force. The military said the airport was used by the Quds Force “as a central hub for arming and funding terrorist proxies in the Middle East,” including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Aircraft loaded with weapons and cash took off from the airport numerous times and landed across the region for use by Iranian proxies, according to the military.
The IDF said it destroyed aircraft used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, as well as several Iranian fighter jets that “posed a threat to Israeli Air Force aircraft.”
The IDF also struck a key command center of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force overnight, which served the IRGC air force’s air defense unit. The military said it also struck air defense systems, headquarters, logistical warehouses, and other buildings near the command center.
Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar took part in a strike sortie in Iran on Friday, flying an F-15 fighter jet, a military source told The Times of Israel.
Iran Launches Missiles at Israel
Even as Israeli strikes intensified, Tehran continued firing missiles toward Israel overnight and into Saturday morning.
Frequent launches triggered sirens in Jerusalem, Beersheba and northern Israel, sending millions scrambling for bomb shelters.
At around 6:20 a.m., the IDF said it detected the fifth launch of ballistic missiles from Iran since midnight, triggering sirens in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel.
While the attacks came every few hours, the number of missiles in each salvo was relatively small and most were intercepted. There were no reports of injuries or missile impacts.
Earlier attacks during the war had typically provided civilians four to eight minutes of preparation time. However, Friday evening’s missile barrages prompted sirens across central Israel with shorter advance warning times – three minutes in one instance, and one minute in another.
The IDF Home Front Command clarified that the shorter-than-usual early warnings were related to operational factors surrounding the detection of the projectiles, rather than a technical issue.
The military said that the Home Front Command sends advance notifications to mobile phones as early as possible, but sirens may be sounded without prior notification depending on operational conditions.
Some unverified reports have attempted to tie the shorter warnings to damage caused to US radars in the region, but this is unlikely, as the radar systems were damaged days ago.
Conflict Spills Across the Gulf Region
The conflict has also spilled across the Gulf region, where Iran has targeted countries hosting US forces.
On Saturday morning, AFP journalists reported explosions in Dubai and Bahrain’s capital Manama, where warning sirens sounded and authorities urged residents to seek shelter.
Saudi Arabia intercepted an Iranian missile fired at an airbase southeast of Riyadh and reported at least two drone attacks earlier in the week that targeted the Ras Tanura refinery.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman warned Iran against further escalation.
Iran’s Warning to Europe
Tehran has also issued direct warnings to European governments. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said any EU member states that join the US and Israel in attacks against Iran would become “legitimate targets” for Iranian retaliation.
While some EU countries have sent warships towards the Middle East, they have mostly called for an end to the conflict and a diplomatic solution.
US Considers Future of War
In Washington, the White House sought to reassure the public about America’s readiness. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States has sufficient weapons stockpiles to meet operational needs.
US President Donald Trump is preparing to meet with major defense contractors and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in talks expected to focus on expanding weapons production.
Trump has privately expressed interest in deploying ground forces to Iran, according to NBC News, envisioning cooperation between Tehran and Washington on oil similar to the US and Venezuela.
Trump said unconditional surrender could mean the total destruction of Iran’s military capabilities and not necessarily a formal capitulation by Tehran.
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