Israel Strikes Tehran Oil Depot and Defense Ministry in Expanding Operation Rising Lion

In a dramatic escalation of Operation "Rising Lion," Israeli Air Force jets struck multiple high-value targets across Tehran overnight, including the city’s main oil depot and the Iranian Defense Ministry headquarters. The strikes mark a significant deepening of Israel’s preemptive campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear, military, and strategic capabilities.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the strike on Tehran’s oil depot targeted at least 11 massive storage tanks. The attack caused large fires and widespread damage, confirmed by Iranian oil ministry officials speaking to international media outlets. “Tehran is burning,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on X shortly after midnight.

The airstrike came after Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks on Israeli cities, killing at least 10 civilians and prompting Katz’s stern warning earlier in the day: “Tehran will burn” if Iran continued its assaults.

The IDF confirmed that among the targets hit in Tehran were the headquarters of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), which oversees Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and the Iranian Defense Ministry itself. The facilities struck were directly involved in advancing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and concealing parts of its nuclear archive.

Sunday morning’s operations extended well beyond Tehran. Israeli fighter jets destroyed missile launchers, many of which had been used to fire on Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile systems and radar installations vital to Iran’s air defenses. The IDF also struck storage sites and missile infrastructure in western Iran.

In total, over 50 Israeli fighter jets participated in the latest wave of strikes, with more than 80 targets hit overnight Saturday alone. Since the start of the campaign early Friday, more than 170 targets and 720 military sites have been neutralized across Iran, according to IDF reports.

For the first time during the ongoing operation, the IDF issued a public warning directly to Iranian civilians, urging them to immediately evacuate any areas near weapons production facilities. “All individuals who are in or near the country’s weapons production facilities should immediately leave these areas and report to the relevant authorities,” IDF Arab media spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee posted in Farsi on X.

The unprecedented warning reflects Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties while systematically dismantling Iran’s military infrastructure. The message was reinforced by the IDF’s Farsi-language spokesperson via video message, signaling a direct appeal to the Iranian people.

Following the evacuation warning, Defense Minister Katz vowed that the operation will continue until Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities are fully neutralized. “We will strike the sites and continue to peel the skin off the Iranian snake in Tehran and everywhere,” he said. “The Iranian dictator is turning Tehran into Beirut and its residents into hostages for the sake of his regime’s survival.”

The IDF further announced that it has achieved full aerial superiority over western Iran and Tehran, allowing Israeli jets to operate freely over vast areas of Iranian territory.

Operation Rising Lion began early Friday with more than 200 Israeli aircraft simultaneously targeting dozens of nuclear, military, and ballistic missile sites. The strikes were based on high-level intelligence and conducted in response to Iran’s escalating aggression and its rapid pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that the operation will continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” declaring “We are striking at the very heart of Iran’s nuclear and military programs to stop the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

As the world watches this unprecedented confrontation unfold, Israel’s determination remains firm: to prevent Iran from ever achieving the capability to fulfill its threats of annihilation.

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