Fireballs obliterating defense sites, plumes of black smoke twisting into the Tehran skyline, and precision strikes flashing across the darkness — dramatic new footage released by the Israel Defense Forces shows what it says was a rapid seizure of air superiority over the Iranian capital within 24 hours of launching a joint assault with the United States.
The IDF says the Israeli Air Force carried out more than 700 sorties and unleashed thousands of munitions in a sweeping campaign designed to dismantle Iran’s military infrastructure at speed and scale.
“The Air Force cleared the way to Tehran within 24 hours,” the IDF said, adding that Israeli aircraft have been operating “with air superiority in the skies over Tehran” in recent hours.
The video shows fighter jets lifting off for strike missions, explosions ripping through Iranian air defense systems, and thick columns of smoke rising from targeted sites across the city. Interceptor missiles can also be seen streaking skyward as Israeli forces knock down waves of unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory.
According to the IDF, targets struck include ballistic missile launchers, military headquarters, air defense batteries, and command centers tied to what Israel describes as the Iranian regime’s terror apparatus.
The Israel Defense Forces says it is striking targets in Tehran, releasing video strikes on defense systems. pic.twitter.com/4JmoS5F53u
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) March 1, 2026
At the same time, Israel’s multi-layered air defense network — including the Iron Dome system, which intercepts incoming aerial threats mid-flight — working alongside fighter jets and attack helicopters, has knocked down Iranian drones since the beginning of the operation, the military said.
The air campaign unfolds as part of a broader joint offensive between Israel and the United States targeting Iranian military assets across multiple fronts. President Donald Trump announced that United States forces, operating alongside Israel, have sunk multiple Iranian naval vessels and largely obliterated Tehran’s naval headquarters, signaling a coordinated push to degrade Iran’s land, air, and sea capabilities simultaneously.
Securing air superiority over a capital of nearly nine million people in less than a day marks a significant escalation. Control of the skies allows for sustained precision strikes and limits Iran’s ability to contest operations from above.
Israel says strikes in Tehran are ongoing, with additional attacks carried out in the heart of the city in recent minutes against remaining defense systems.
Iran has responded by launching drones and vowing retaliation, setting the stage for further exchanges as the confrontation intensifies.
Related: ‘Bottom Of The Sea’: Trump Declares Iran’s Navy Is Finished
