--- title: "Iran Strikes Back (Updated)" description: "Iran has executed a large ballistic missile attack on Israel, with multiple missiles impacting amidst a barrage of interceptors." date: "2025-06-13" modified: "2025-06-13" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/news-features/iran-strikes-back" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Iran" - "Israel" - "Land" - "Land-Based Ballistic Missile Defense" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "Tactical Ballistic Missiles" --- # Iran Strikes Back (Updated) ![Dramatic footage is emerging online as Iran has begun launching a huge ballistic missile barrage against Israel as part of its retaliatory strikes.]() *Captures via X* Dramatic views are now circulating online after Iran launched a large ballistic missile barrage against Israel as part of its retaliatory strikes. Iranian authorities had earlier said that Israel's decision to target its nuclear program, ballistic missile and other military capabilities, and top leadership figures, which began last night, had constituted a declaration of war and promised a massive response. Readers can first get up to speed on the ongoing Israeli campaign so far and the fallout from it already in our reporting [here](). Israeli authorities say that Iran launched fewer than 100 ballistic missiles, down from earlier estimates of at least 150 or higher, in two waves. In part, the Iranian missiles look to have targeted key anti-ballistic missile air defense sites, including in Tel Aviv, or at least have been aimed at overwhelming them. Though most of the missiles were reportedly intercepted, a small number made it through to the ground. Dozens of people were reportedly injured. https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1933615594483368128 https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1933611199431913674 In video footage that has emerged so far, many of the missiles could be seen being intercepted at low altitudes deep into their terminal phases of flight. The videos below offer particularly close-up looks at one strike, which may have been targeting a key Israeli Ministry of Defense building in Tel Aviv, or what was likely Stunner/David's Sling air defense site nearby protecting it. https://twitter.com/websterkaroon/status/1933602482720289053 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933592404856033368 https://twitter.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1933605975031758976 https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1933603119788597743 Additional pictures and videos of incoming Iranian missiles, as well as at least some of them being intercepted, can be seen below. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933595334741275056 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933593277174894901 https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933589933341491595 https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/1933601334424379430 Imagery of the aftermath of the strikes in Tel Aviv has also now begun to emerge. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1933601291361792163 Visuals of the missiles being launched from Iran, as well as apparent celebrations of the retaliatory strikes in that country, are now circulating online, as well. https://twitter.com/mhmiranusa/status/1933601731797029241 https://twitter.com/mhmiranusa/status/1933608043566031242 https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1933603351486476598 Israeli authorities have already threatened to further escalate their operations against Iran in response, saying that attacks within populated centers are a red line. There have been reports that an expanded target set could include Iran's oil and natural gas infrastructure. There also continue to be concerns that the growing conflict could spill over elsewhere in the region. https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1933602210186711260 Overall, the Israeli campaign against Iran, and the Iranian responses to it, are very much still in their early phases. ***Update, 4:40 PM Eastern:*** Imagery from the Iranian ballistic missiles strikes continues to emerge online. https://twitter.com/iihtishamm/status/1933593380467966366 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933614282408628578 A video, seen below, has now emerged that is said to show debris on the ground from the intercept of an Iranian ballistic missile in Tel Aviv. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933617790864535756 *CNN* has reported that the U.S. military has assisted in some way in the interception of incoming Iranian missiles and drones in the past 24 hours. A U.S. official told *TWZ* that the U.S. Navy's *Arleigh Burke* class destroyer USS *Thomas Hudner* was heading east across the Mediterranean in the direction of Israel. Additional reports had said [that another destroyer of this type]() was also being repositioned for a potential forward deployment to the region if necessary. *Arleigh Burke* class [destroyers are among the assets]() the U.S. military has used to defend Israel from previous Iranian attacks in the past year or so. https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1933610712615600619 The Israeli Security Cabinet has now met to assess options for responding to the latest Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv and elsewhere across the country. Tehran has now also threatened to expand the scope of its target list for further strikes on Israel if its oil and natural gas infrastructure is struck. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933614283847577766 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933612615491522833 Separately, Israel has now confirmed strikes on the Iranian Air Force's Hamadan and Tabriz airbases in western Iran, and is claiming to have "destroyed" Tabriz. "In addition, the Air Force attacked and destroyed dozens of targets in the Iranian regime's air defense system, unmanned aerial vehicles, and surface-to-surface missile launchers," according to a machine translation of posts from the Israeli Air Force. https://twitter.com/IAFsite/status/1933618939054981580 Amid the ongoing campaign, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a call to Iranians to rise up against the current regime in their country. https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1933620091297370213 ***Update, 5:20 PM Eastern:*** Reported casualties from the Iranian strikes on Israel continue to rise. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933618197183221824 Videos said to show anti-aircraft guns firing into the skies above Tehran have appeared online amid reports of new Israeli strikes. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933629502174998913 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933630867861311516 The Israeli Air Force has released footage that is says shows an unspecified helicopter, very likely an AH-64 Apache, downing an Iranian kamikaze drone with a gun earlier today. https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1933622628033409165 Earlier today, International Atomic Energy Agency Director (IAEA) General Rafael Grossi provided the following details about Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites [in a statement]() to the United Nations Security Council: "Iran has confirmed that at present, only the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant site has been attacked in today’s strikes. This facility contains the Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant," per Grossi. "Electricity infrastructure at the facility (electrical sub-station, main electric power supply building, emergency power supply and back-up generators) has been destroyed. There is no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. However, the loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there." "The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event," he added. "However, due to the impacts, there is radiological and chemical contamination inside the facilities in Natanz. The type of radiation present inside the facility, primarily alpha particles, is manageable with appropriate radiation protection measures." "At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on the other facilities, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant; and Esfahan site, where a fuel plate fabrication plant, a fuel manufacturing plant, a uranium conversion facility and an enriched UO2 powder plant are located," he continued. "However I have to inform that at this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well which initially had not been part of military operation." *CNN* has reported that damage to Natanz, specifically, is far greater than can be seen from the surface, citing unnamed U.S. officials. https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933622487452897303 Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian. He stressed the importance of a diplomatic resolution to the current crisis, according to a social media post from the Russian Embassy in the United States. Russia has strong ties to the current regime in Tehran. https://twitter.com/rusembusa/status/1933623614617641204 ***Update, 5:50 PM Eastern:*** The Israeli Air Force (IAF) says it has intercepted a "suspicious aerial target" in the vicinity of the port city of Eilat. Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen [have targeted Eilat with drones]() in the past. https://twitter.com/IAFsite/status/1933638864041660868 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1933634806690296216 Two more "suspicious aerial targets" were also intercepted over the Arava region in southern Israel, according to the IDF. https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1933642721412972567 https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933637945509962123 Iran's Isalmic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said the ballistic missile strikes "targeted military centers and air bases that were the source of the criminal aggression against our country, as well as military industrial centers that were used by \[Israel's\] army to produce missiles and other military equipment and weapons to commit crimes against the resistant nations of the region, especially the oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza, along with other military targets deep in the occupied territories," according to Iran's *Fars* news outlet. The IRGC has also threatened the use of Kheibar Shekan medium-range ballistic missiles against Israel. The Kheibar Shekan is one of the most modern and capable ballistic missiles in Iran's inventory, as you can read more about [here](). https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933638359236153714 Israeli outlet *Haaretz* has reported that at least nine buildings in Ramat Gan in central Israel were destroyed and more were damaged in Iran's ballistic missile strikes. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933629799529902478 https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/1933620929830990291 The video below is said to have been taken in Tel Aviv tonight, showing an impact very close to bystanders on the street. https://twitter.com/MonitorX99800/status/1933619591701254383 U.S. Army [Patriot surface-to-air missile systems]() and [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)]() missile defense systems helped shoot down incoming Iranian ballistic missiles, *Fox News* has reported. "There are hundreds of thousands of American citizens and other American assets in Israel and the U.S. is working to protect them," an unnamed U.S. official said, according to *Fox*. Reuters has separately reported that U.S. warships and aircraft have not yet taken part in defending Israel from the last round of Iranian threats. https://twitter.com/Liz_Friden/status/1933615678973682040 https://twitter.com/Liz_Friden/status/1933607044273352884 https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/1933617807624753487 Israel has also denied the loss of any F-35 stealth fighters, according to *Axios*' Barak Ravid. https://twitter.com/BarakRavid/status/1933634638213226647 ***Update, 6:15 PM Eastern:*** Iran has launched another volley of missiles at Israel, according to the IDF. Based on publicly available alert messages, the new wave of strikes may be aimed at Israel's Nevatim and Hatzerim airbases, at least in part. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1933647377962865104 https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1933647877638602933 There are also reports of Iranian air defense activity in the Pastour neighborhood of Iran, which is where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's residence and the presidential compound are situated. Whether or not either were actually targeted is unknown. https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1933641446327808324 The IDF has also released additional drone intercept footage from earlier in the day. https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1933643964680229254 ***Update, 6:50 PM Eastern:*** Iran's latest wave of ballistic missile strikes has again targeted Tel Aviv, at least in part, with at least one of them reaching the ground. https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933650226025292213 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933652759779160360 https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1933653368792305726 Another video is circulating that is said to show Iranian missiles passing over Jerusalem. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933650691681079715 Air defenses are again active in attempting to bring the incoming Iranian missiles down. The video immediately below shows what appears to be an exoatmospheric interception outside of the Earth's atmosphere. https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1933651833471565933 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933652221566075367 Imagery has also emerged showing the missiles being launched from the Tehran area. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933649204448276999 https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933646800193191949 ***Update, 7:25 PM Eastern:*** TWZ's own Tyler Rogoway has noted that Iran's ballistic missile arsenal is not just limited to major bases, including those built into mountains, but also includes an array of road mobile launchers that can be readily dispersed. This mobility, in turn, makes it harder to find and fix them, as well as target them pre-emptively. As such, Israel's targeting of Iranian missile bases is an important part of the country's campaign, but would not directly address any dispersed launch capacity. https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1933659116310053084 https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1933660710699217413 Another round of Israeli strikes tonight looks to have caused at least one significant fire in Tehran, based on a video now circulating online. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1933662343533338624 https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1933662966387503204 There are reports that one of the individuals injured in Iran's strikes on Israel today has died. Additional imagery from the latest wave continues to appear online. https://twitter.com/vcdgf555/status/1933658857085235221 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933658290950430958 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933657848099319923 https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/1933657563339374889 The IDF has released several videos showing personnel assigned to its Home Front Command responding in the wake of the Iranian strikes. https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1933661901440864514 ***Update: 8:22 pm Eastern*** Iran threatens to strike the bases of anyone who helps defend Israel from their attacks. This would already be the U.S. by default. If they did this, it could lead to the U.S. entering the conflict, which would be a huge win for Israel. https://twitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1933672994053730480 Israel has struck the hardened aircraft shelters at Tehran International. F-14s are known to be stationed there. https://twitter.com/Grimm_Intel/status/1933676945046216762 https://twitter.com/mhmiranusa/status/1933671056545296809 IDF says they hit a key uranium conversion center in Isfahan, along with other nuclear infrastructure: https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1933671301597839492 Similar targeting has occurred at Natanz, another epicenter of Iran's nuclear program: https://twitter.com/ChuckPfarrer/status/1933634103200342320 Azerbaijan is deploying radoatopm detectors due to the nature of the targets being hit by the IAF: https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1933673263617736808 And with that, after well over 24 hours of continuous rolling coverage, our crew badly needs a break. We will be back with another post soon, especially if anything that significantly changes the current constructs of the conflict occurs or a major military technology or tactics element needs addressing. Smaller takes and updates can be had in the meantime on our editor's X feed at [@aviation\_intel.]() *Howard Altman contributed to this story.* *Contact the author: joe@twz.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()