"Inside Operation Rising Lion": A Combat Navigator's Historic Account

An IAF combat navigator described how, on the first night of Operation Rising Lion, just minutes after dozens of Israeli fighter jets entered Iranian airspace, an F-15 navigator spotted a lone Iranian fighter jet that had just taken off from a base in western Iran. Within moments, the hostile aircraft turned around and landed.

Lt.-Col. (res.) N., a combat navigator in Squadron 133, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, believes the Iranian pilot sensed the approaching threat.

“The pilot probably sensed what was coming towards him," said N., who spotted the aircraft on its way to attack Iran's underground nuclear infrastructure. "He probably didn’t want any part of it and ran to hide. For me, that moment perfectly demonstrates the air superiority we achieved all the way in Iran.”

Having served in the IAF for many years, Lt.-Col. (res.) N. shared that he had long participated in training exercises simulating a strike on Iran.

"For years, we’ve been preparing, but I never believed it would actually happen. Only in the morning, after I received the message 'Tonight we fly for real,' did I realize this wasn’t just another rehearsal. It’s happening now."

According to the military, each group of planes that took off on Thursday night had a specific mission. Some were tasked with attacking uranium enrichment sites, while others focused on taking out senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). For Lt.-Col. (res.) N. and his team's mission was to neutralize threats to Israel.

"That night, I attacked missiles, launchers, control systems, and more in western Iran," he recalled. "In the end, I know that every bomb we dropped meant fewer missiles would be fired at our families."

The day before the strike was a whirlwind of briefings, technical preparations, and most importantly, a short nap before the flight, he explained.

“You have to come sharp,” he explained. “Sometimes it’s not easy. But among aircrews, we say that what you need in times like this is to fly, eat, and sleep. Every defensive maneuver requires both physical and mental strength, and you just want to be as prepared and focused as possible.”

While the navigator understood the gravity of the operation from the outset, it was only on the way to the plane that he fully grasped the level of support behind him: "When the technical crew and I shook hands, I understood the vast scale of the mission and how many people worked hard for us to be able to take off. And they’re not anonymous people. These are friends from my course or soldiers I know well from my squadron, who gave their all so we could succeed.”

Returning to Israel before departing once more

Lt.-Col. (res.) N. returned to Israel early on Friday morning.

“The first thing I did was send a message to my wife to update her that everything was fine,” he said. “She connected the dots and figured out where I had been. On the long flight there, sometimes your thoughts wander home. You can’t completely disconnect from reality.”

That same Friday night, he was back in the air, en route to Tehran .

“I never believed it would happen so quickly, literally night after night,” he said. “It’s a powerful feeling. You find yourself flying over a huge city, seeing it spread beneath you, knowing that hidden within it are terrorist infrastructures . You release the bombs and watch them with your eyes until they hit the target. This is not imagination. This is reality. We’re making history here.”

By the time he flew on the second night of the operation, Lt.-Col. (res.) N. noted that Operation Rising Lion was still in its early stages.

“We haven’t done everything yet, obviously. This is a huge country that has been preparing for a confrontation with us for years. But we managed to establish a certain air superiority, and also a sense of security,” Lt.-Col. (res.) N. emphasized. “There are still many targets to strike, but thanks to the efforts of people from all branches of security, we’re going on defensive missions with precise intelligence that allows us to strike terrorist centers again and again.”