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Commander: Iran's Air Force downed drones, repelled attacks in 12-day war with Israel

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 September 2025 6:46 PM

The commander of Iran's Air Force says Iranian military personnel carried out continuous aerial operations during a recent 12-day war with Israel, including downing several drones and intercepting hostile aircraft.

Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, who heads the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), said pilots, commanders, and technical staff conducted round-the-clock combat, reconnaissance, and air defense missions in response to the unprovoked aggression by Israel on June 13.

"From the first minutes of the war imposed by the Zionist regime, pilots from Shahid Babayi Air Base in Isfahan and other bases carried out combat flights over Tehran and other strategic areas, successfully intercepting advanced enemy drones," Vahedi said during a speech in Tehran.

He said the IRIAF responded to all requests from the country's integrated air defense network, and that fighter jets repeatedly confronted "enemy flight formations," preventing them from reaching their targets.

The Iranian military employed its full air force capacity during the 12-day war. Vahedi said the Air Force conducted dozens of missions, some of which remain classified due to security concerns.

"During the 12-day imposed war with the Zionist regime, the focus of commanders, pilots, and technical staff was on carrying out combat operations, as well as patrol, reconnaissance, and scramble flights against the enemy's manned and unmanned aircraft," he said.

"The Air Force is fully prepared to defend Iran's airspace under any circumstances," he added.

The Israeli regime launched a blatant and unprovoked onslaught against Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

The United States also joined the war days later by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law.

In response, the Iranian Armed Forces targeted strategic sites across the occupied territories as well as the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the terrorist aggression.