The Israeli military is preparing for at least one more week of operations against Iran as it seeks to further degrade the Iranian regime and its military infrastructure.
Israel has dropped more than 5,000 bombs on Iranian targets since the start of the conflict last weekend.
The Israel Defense Forces is planning to strike thousands more targets, with a goal of taking out the country's government and its military sites, The Times of Israel reported on Thursday.
The military said fighter jets "continue to deepen air superiority throughout Iran, with an emphasis on the Tehran area."
A senior Israeli Air Force officer said recent strikes have inflicted heavy casualties on Iranian forces.
"In the past two days, we have killed thousands of Iranian forces," said Col. Aleph, the commander of the Ramat David Air Base, who was identified only by his first initial in Hebrew and shown speaking in a video published by the military.
Aleph said he took part in a wave of strikes on a large Iranian military compound in eastern Tehran.
"Seconds before I dropped the bombs, I looked right and left, and saw dozens of fighter jets beside me. They're flying freely, dropping hundreds of tons of precise munitions and destroying the targets," he said.
Among Wednesday's operations, the Israeli Air Force carried out large-scale attacks on a compound in Tehran that the Israel Defense Forces said housed headquarters and personnel from multiple elements of Iran’s security apparatus.
More than 100 fighter jets participated in the strikes, dropping over 250 bombs on the complex, according to the IDF.
Targets included headquarters used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC's Quds Force, the intelligence directorate, the Basij paramilitary force, Iran's cyber unit, special forces of Iran's internal security forces, and a unit responsible for suppressing protests.
"The headquarters were struck while personnel of the Iranian terror regime responsible for managing the campaign, advancing terror plans against the state of Israel and countries in the region, and suppressing Iranian civilians were operating from them," the Israeli military said.
The IDF also said an Israeli F-35I fighter jet destroyed an armed Iranian ballistic missile launcher in the Kermanshah area of western Iran.
"The Israeli Air Force continues to strike missile launch sites and missile launchers in order to remove the threat posed to the state of Israel," the military said.
Additional waves of Israeli airstrikes in central and western Iran destroyed dozens of ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems, according to the IDF. Some launchers were struck while Iranian soldiers were operating them and preparing attacks on Israel.
Israeli forces also destroyed air defense and detection systems at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport.
The IDF said there have been at least 11 waves of strikes in Tehran since the conflict began, including at least two on Wednesday.
Israeli officials also described the campaign as a coordinated operation with the United States, dividing responsibilities by geography, targets, and military capability.
Israeli aircraft have focused on ballistic missile launchers and military assets in western and central Iran, where long-range missiles targeting Israel are typically launched. U.S. forces have targeted missile launchers in southern Iran that have been used to attack American bases in the Gulf.
The U.S. military has also taken responsibility for targeting Iran's navy, while Israel has focused on regime-related sites in Tehran.
Israeli officials said the Israeli Air Force has relied heavily on American aerial refueling aircraft, with dozens of U.S. tankers stationed in Israel during the conflict.
Military officials described the campaign as the first full-scale joint war between Israel and the United States.
"There are joint coordination cells" in both countries working to synchronize intelligence, targeting, and defense operations, the military said. More than 1,000 American troops are currently stationed in Israel.
"This is a war in English," a military official said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said Israeli special forces are conducting significant missions as part of the campaign.
"The troops of the air force's special units are currently carrying out extraordinary missions that can spark one's imagination," Bar said in a message to air force personnel.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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