A security official has said that Israel built a drone base on Iranian soil ahead of last night’s strikes on the country’s military and nuclear facilities.

Speaking to Times of Israel, the unnamed official said that as part of the operation, which had been years in the making, precision weapons systems and commandos had also been smuggled into the country.

Key to the operation was close joint planning between the IDF and the Mossad, the official said.

The Israeli drones were reportedly activated overnight, striking surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel.

Other missiles took out Iran’s air defences and gave Israeli planes air supremacy and freedom of action over Iran.

In addition, Mossad commandos deployed precision missiles near anti-aircraft sites in the central Iran.

The operations relied on “groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while totally evading the eyes of local intelligence,” the official told Times of Israel.

According to Israel Hayom Israeli military and intelligence forces collaborated extensively over several years developing comprehensive intelligence dossiers necessary for executing the preemptive assault that was “Operation Rising Lion.”

This preparations involved gathering detailed intelligence and conducting surveillance operations targeting senior Iranian security apparatus officials and nuclear scientists who were subsequently killed. These efforts ran parallel to a clandestine operational campaign aimed at undermining Iran’s strategic missile capabilities.

Throughout this framework, the Mossad orchestrated intelligence-operational and technological collaboration with IDF units and defense contractors, executing covert sabotage missions deep within Iranian territory, alongside widespread Israeli Air Force operations.

These coordinated operations targeted Iran’s strategic missile infrastructure and air defense networks. The institutional strategy required extended planning periods, demanding bold and sophisticated coordination combined with innovative strategic thinking and operational deception.

Every mission necessitated meticulous research and precision intelligence collection, cutting-edge technologies, and extensive commando force deployment operating clandestinely throughout Tehran and across Iran while evading the Islamic Republic’s security and intelligence surveillance.

Through their operational activities, Mossad operatives introduced specialized combat systems on an extensive scale, strategically positioning them across Iranian territory and directing them toward designated targets with precision and effectiveness.

This operation encompassed three distinct and sophisticated institutional operational frameworks. Initially, Mossad commando units operated throughout central Iran, deploying precision-guided weapons systems in strategic open areas near enemy surface-to-air missile installations. Upon commencement of Israeli operations, coordinated with Israeli Air Force strikes across Iran, these systems received guidance and activation signals, firing precision missiles simultaneously toward designated targets with remarkable accuracy.

Through a secondary operational phase designed to neutralize Iranian air defense systems threatening Israeli aircraft, the Mossad executed clandestine operations deploying attack systems and advanced technologies mounted on mobile platforms. As the surprise offensive commenced, these weapons systems engaged and completely eliminated their designated targets—Iranian defensive installations.

The third operational phase, according to Israel Hayom, involved the Mossad, through agent networks, establishing explosive drone facilities infiltrated deep into Iranian territory well before the attack. During Israeli operations, these explosive drones activated and targeted surface-to-surface missile launchers positioned at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force’s Esfejabad base near Tehran, launchers that represented significant threats to Israeli strategic and civilian infrastructure.

Posting on X, the IDF said: “We can now confirm that the Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets.

“These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them.”

The IDF said the attack was based on “high-quality intelligence” and “in response to the Iranian regime’s ongoing aggression against Israel.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday morning said that the operation would “continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” vowing to stop “the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

The IDF told JNS that the Iranian regime had been advancing a secret plan for the technological advancement of all parts of the development of a nuclear weapon, in a programme involving senior nuclear scientists working secretly.

“In recent months, this programme has accelerated significantly, bringing the regime significantly closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” the military stated.

A military official, discussing the operation, elaborated on the specific intelligence that made the preemptive strike a necessity at this time.

“We have been closely following developments in Iran for years,” said the official. “Recently, we identified that the Iranian regime significantly advanced towards obtaining a nuclear weapon, and its capability to act in a concrete way against us.”

He detailed three critical components of the threat that had converged. The first, he explained, was the “nuclear trigger,” adding, “The Iranian regime is advancing towards obtaining a nuclear weapon. In recent months, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a number of reports that detail a concerning trend of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear project that goes beyond civilian usage. Yesterday, the IAEA Board of Governors declared for the first time in 20 years that the Iranian regime is blatantly violating nuclear agreements.”

Crucially, the military official revealed for the first time that this went far beyond enrichment. “We are exposing for the first time that the Iranian regime has been advancing a secret programme to assemble a nuclear weapon. In the framework of this plan, nuclear scientists and senior officials in Iran have been working to secretly develop all components needed for developing a nuclear weapon — explosive materials, the core (enriched uranium) and neutron source,” he stated.

A neutron source is a device placed at the core of a nuclear weapon, which, upon detonation, releases a burst of neutrons to initiate the rapid nuclear chain reaction required for an explosion. According to the official, the Iranian regime made a decision to advance this secret assembly, having already accumulated enough fissile material “for 15 nuclear bombs within days.”

The second component of the Iranian threat to Israel, the official noted, was “ballistic missiles.” He said, “The Iranian regime has thousands of ballistic missiles, which it plans to double, and to triple, with the understanding that this is an effective threat against Israel. We are talking about a number of missiles that, even without a nuclear weapon, represents an existential threat.”

The third component was Iran’s ongoing effort in the “distribution of weapons and arms to regional proxies,” with Israel identifying attempts by the regime to arm its proxies across the Middle East with ammunition to be used against Israel. These elements, combined with concrete intelligence obtained over the years of a plan developed by senior Iranian officials with Hezbollah and Hamas to destroy Israel, created what the official termed an immediate and imminent existential threat.

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a separate English announcement on Friday,“Over the past few months, intelligence has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. This morning the IDF began preemptive and precise strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear program in order to prevent the Iranian regime’s ability to build a nuclear bomb in the immediate time frame. We have no choice. We are operating against an imminent and existential threat. We cannot allow the Iranian regime to obtain a nuclear weapon that would be a danger to Israel and the entire world.”

The military official stressed that Israel has repeatedly warned the world about the threat.

“We have warned the world for many years,” he said, adding, “We have warned our partners across the world, publicly and privately speaking about Iran advancing, saying this is a global problem, not just an Israeli problem, if the Iranian regime has a nuclear bomb. And we understand if we don’t act now, if we don’t operate now, we’ll get to the point of no return.”

He also addressed Iran’s dual-track strategy of deception: “We understand, and our intelligence shows us that Iran is promoting this nuclear plan right now, in recent months, while the world thinks they are negotiating, at the same time they are promoting a nuclear bomb. As I said before, they have enough enriched materials for 15 nuclear bombs. They are advancing also in enrichment, but also in the weapons group. These are two places that we just cannot accept. A regime that said that their mission is to destroy us with a nuclear bomb that is secretly getting to that nuclear bomb is something we cannot accept, and we must stop it.”

Discussing Israel’s security partnerships, the official stated, “We’ve had great relationships since day one of this war with many of our partners. Leading the way was the U.S. military, saving lives. That’s not an overstatement…. As always, we have a great relations with our partners.”

The Commander of the IDF Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, urged the public to prepare for widespread alerts. “During this campaign, we anticipate widespread alerts. It is crucial that you take shelter in the best way possible, whether in your private home or in public spaces—preferably in a safe room, shelter, or protected space approved by the Home Front Command. If there are no protected spaces near you, you must enter a stairway or an interior room.”

He added, “Every civilian must be aware of the most protected space in their area. When an alert is received, you must enter the protected space and remain there until further notice. You must avoid unnecessary movement outside and refrain from driving on the road. There are challenging and complicated days ahead of us. We are strong together and prepared to defend the State of Israel.”

In its initial announcement, the IDF stated that “a short while ago, dozens of IAF [Israeli Air Force] jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.”

The announcement noted, “Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and a significant threat to the wider world. The State of Israel will not allow a regime whose objective is to destroy the State of Israel to obtain weapons of mass destruction”.

The statement added that for “years, the Iranian regime has been waging a direct and indirect campaign of terror against the State of Israel, by funding and directing terrorist activities via its proxies across the Middle East, while advancing toward obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The Iranian regime is at the head of the axis responsible for all terrorist attacks against the State of Israel since the beginning of the Swords of Iron War, including by arming and funding the Hamas terror organization, which was responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. During the Swords of Iron War, Iran even directly attacked Israel twice, firing hundreds of missiles toward the State of Israel.”

In a direct address to the Israeli public, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, placed the operation in a historic context. “Civilians of Israel, these are decisive days, we are currently at the start of a new phase in the operation to secure our future. The IDF began Operation ‘Rising Lion’ tonight, in order to strategically strike the threats from the Iranian regime against the State of Israel. We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us,” he declared.

Zamir continued, “We cannot afford to wait for another time to operate, we have no other choice. Recent and past events of history have taught us that when the enemy is attempting to destroy us, we must not turn a blind eye. As such, we need to fight for our existence; freedom is given to those willing to fight for it.”

He added, “I warn that anyone who tries to challenge us will pay a heavy price. We are entering this operation together with one goal—to secure a safer future for the State of Israel and its civilians; in a unified effort and faith, we will win.”