Israel has confirmed it carried out an airstrike on Mashhad airport in northeast Iran, targeting a military refuelling aircraft in what its military described as the “longest-range strike conducted since the beginning of the operation”.“A short while ago, the IAF (Israeli Air Force) struck an Iranian aerial refuelling aircraft at Mashhad airport in eastern Iran, approximately 2,300 kilometres from Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. A large fire was seen at the airport following the strike.The operation marks one of the farthest attacks ever conducted by Israel, reminiscent of its 1985 strike on the Palestine Liberation Organization’s headquarters in Tunisia.Iranian media confirmed explosions in Mashhad, with Fars news agency reporting “two locations in Mashhad suffered explosions and fires” and that “air defences were activated in the area.” The city is also home to the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest site for Shia Muslims in Iran.
‘Removing an existential threat’
Earlier, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the Air Force is attacking Iran’s infrastructure “in a precise and extensive manner, beyond what the enemy anticipated”.“The offensive operations we are conducting in Iran are transforming Israel’s strategic reality. We are removing an existential threat and reinforcing our security,” he said during a visit to the IAF’s central command centre.“The IDF, through the air force, has completed paving the way to Tehran and is striking the regime’s infrastructure and nuclear program in a precise and extensive manner,” he added. “We will continue to act with determination, strength, responsibility, and in full cooperation with all security branches, until all our objectives are achieved.”According to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists, Israeli strikes have killed at least 406 people and wounded 654 in Iran. Iran has not released official casualty figures.The campaign, which began Friday, has seen Israel target multiple Iranian military and nuclear sites across the country, including oil refineries and defence facilities. Iran has responded with missile strikes, with at least 22 hitting Israeli territory, causing deaths and widespread damage.
