JERUSALEM/TEHRAN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Sunday it had achieved "air superiority in the skies over Tehran" following a wave of airstrikes targeting Iran's capital.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its Air Force carried out more than 700 sorties and fired "thousands" of munitions within 24 hours to "clear the way" for operations in Tehran.
"In recent hours, Israeli Air Force aircraft have been operating with air superiority over Tehran, striking and eliminating numerous targets," the IDF said. The strikes reportedly focused on Iran's ballistic missile launchers, command centers, and headquarters, while also targeting air defense systems.
The IDF said its air defenses and fighter jets intercepted more than 50 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory since Saturday.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the airstrikes were intensifying and would "intensify further in the coming days." Speaking from the roof of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, he said the operations were conducted with U.S. support, citing President Donald Trump and the American military.
"This combination of forces enables us to do what I have long sought to do for 40 years," Netanyahu said, referring to striking Iran decisively.
The Israeli military said it plans to call up 100,000 reservists to bolster readiness along borders with Syria and Lebanon, as well as in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and southern Israel. The call-up comes amid the potential for escalation on multiple fronts following the joint Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli police said search teams were still looking for 11 people believed trapped under the rubble of buildings hit in an Iranian missile attack in central Israel. At least nine people were killed when a missile struck a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, and 45 others were injured, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.
The attack was the deadliest on Israel since Iran's retaliatory strikes following the joint U.S.-Israel operation that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials.
On Sunday evening, Iran's state-run IRIB TV reported that the United States and Israel had attacked parts of the organization in Tehran. A Xinhua correspondent noted that broadcasting stopped shortly after the announcement. ■
