On the first night of Iran’s launch of airstrikes against Iran, mere minutes after dozens of Israeli fighter jets crossed the Iranian border, an F-15 pilot spotted a lone Iranian fighter plane taking off from a base in the west of the country. Within minutes, the enemy aircraft reversed course and landed. “The pilot probably realized what was coming,” speculates Maj. N., a combat navigator in Squadron 133, who spotted the plane. “He certainly didn’t want anything to do with the event and ran to hide. For me, that moment, more than anything else, illustrates the air superiority we brought with us all the way to Iran,” he said in an interview with Ynet. N. said that he and his fellow pilots were shocked by the lack of resistance from the Iranian pilots. Meanwhile, Iranian media has been broadcasting all types of lies to their citizens, including claims that Israeli pilots were shot down or captured. “It’s funny—of course that didn’t happen,” N. said. “Every pilot dreams of downing an enemy aircraft, and we were ready for that. But during the opening wave, when we entered Iranian airspace, we saw their pilots take off—and then flee. They flew inward, toward central Iran, literally running away from us and disappearing.” N. said that since the beginning of his career in the Air Force, he has participated in exercises simulating an attack scenario in Iran: “For years we have been preparing, but I didn’t believe it was going to happen. Only in the morning, after we received the message ‘Tonight we fly to the real thing’ – I realized that this is not another dress rehearsal. It’s happening now.” N., a reservist and married father, said that he was most worried about his family. “My biggest worry was for them,” he says. “We knew the enemy’s capabilities and plans. I couldn’t say anything at home—not a word to my family. It weighed heavily on me, knowing the entire country was about to change in an instant.” “Some of us left behind letters for our loved ones, in case we didn’t make it back. I prepared for the possibility that I, or my friends, may not return.” He also revealed the emotions he felt about participating in the attack. “First, a deep sense of mission. Every pilot dreams of being pushed to the edge of their capabilities. Routine security flights aren’t as demanding. This mission was complex. Second, facing the enemy. We know what kind of regime we’re dealing with—one that openly calls for our destruction—and we were taking action to secure our national future. “And third, a personal reckoning. On October 7, I was scrambled to defend the southern towns, and we were caught off guard. This time, we were the ones initiating. It felt like redemption.” “We’re the tip of the spear. I was a fighter pilot in the lead wave, but what made it possible was the entire support structure behind us. This was a national-scale operation. Not many countries in the world can carry out something like this with such precision and coordination. I think it will be studied in military academies.” “It started with intelligence, technical crews, and Home Front Command prepping back home—it’s a massive orchestra. Every move we make is backed by others—Mossad agents, refueling aircraft, […]