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All Israeli pilots returned home safely from Iran mission, official says

Published: 13 Jun. 2025, 18:37

Onlookers watch as rescue teams clear the rubble in front of a building targeted by an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 13. [AFP/YONHAP]

All Israeli pilots involved in Friday's strike on Iran have returned safely home, an Israeli military official said, as the country's armed forces continued assessing the results of the operation.

The official, speaking to a group of foreign reporters on condition of anonymity, said the air force had launched simultaneous strikes on multiple targets, including Iranian ballistic missiles that were pointed towards Israel.

"We have already achieved a lot," he said.

Israel was prepared for the confrontation to continue over several days, depending in part on how Iran responded, he said, adding that Iran had already launched more than 100 drones towards Israel, many of which had already been intercepted.

A few travellers stand at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on June 13, after Israel closed its air space to takeoff and landing. Israel pounded Iran in a series of air raids on June 13, striking 100 targets including Tehran's nuclear and military sites, and killing the armed forces' chief of staff, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and top nuclear scientists. Iran launched 100 drones in response towards Israel whose defences were working to intercept, the Israeli military said.

Reuters