JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said Saturday that its campaign in Iran had secured control of the airspace from the country's west to Tehran, where 70 fighter jets carried out strikes overnight.
“We have created aerial freedom of action from west Iran all the way to Tehran”, said military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin.
The Iranian capital is about 450 kilometres (280 miles) from the border with Iraq to the west.
“Tehran is no longer immune,“ Defrin told journalists, adding that some 70 Israeli fighter jets struck more than 40 targets in the city overnight, on the second day of Israel’s air campaign against the Islamic republic.
Defrin said it was the first time that Israeli jets had operated in “this particular airspace” and were now operating “freely over Tehran”.
“It is also the deepest penetration we’ve conducted into Iranian territory to date,“ he said.
“Reaching Tehran carries significant strategic and operational implications.”
Israel on Friday launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, hitting as many as 200 military and nuclear sites, Defrin said, and killing top army commanders, nuclear scientists and other senior officials.
Iran said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of strikes.
Iran in return launched barrages of drones and missile at Israel, killing three people, injuring more than 70 others and causing damage in several cities.
