In 2024, Israel surprised the region with Operation Grim Beeper, which involved covertly distributing explosive-loaded pagers to Hezbollah operatives and then remotely detonating them. This psychological shock campaign was only a precursor.
In June 2025, Operation Rising Lion took this model to a new level, integrating sabotage, cyber disruption, and precision airpower to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and disrupt its military command structure. This operation was not merely a strike; it represented system-wide warfare executed with surgical precision.
Intelligence as the Decisive Enabler
The groundwork was laid long before the first aircraft launched. Israel’s intelligence services, Mossad and Unit 8200, conducted years of deep surveillance and technical penetration across Iran’s nuclear and military networks. They mapped critical infrastructure, tracked personnel, and identified systemic vulnerabilities.
Covert logistics channels were utilised to smuggle drone systems and munitions, hidden within civilian vehicles and commercial shipments. These items were not for observation; they awaited a signal.
Striking First from Within
In the hours leading up to the kinetic phase, Israel activated its embedded assets. Loitering munitions —likely SkyStriker, Hero-120, and Mini Harpy drones— activated from within Iranian territory and struck radar stations and mobile air defence units.
Cyber tools simultaneously disrupted command-and-control systems, isolating air defence nodes and severing coordination links. This combination neutralised key parts of Iran’s air surveillance network, enabling Israeli aircraft to enter with minimal resistance. Crucially, Israel didn’t have to fight its way in—the door was opened from the inside.
Airpower with Strategic Depth
The Israeli Air Force launched more than 200 aircraft, including F-35I Adir, F-15I Ra’am, and F-16I Sufa fighters. Over 330 precision-guided munitions were delivered in five waves against nearly 100 targets.
Weapons included:
- GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs for hardened sites
- SPICE-1000 glide bombs for pinpoint strikes
- Delilah cruise missiles for mobile and command targets
Target sets included:
- Uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan
- IRGC command compounds in western Tehran
- Missile depots near Parchin
- Convoys and safehouses of key regime figures
Among the confirmed casualties: IRGC commanders Hossein Salami, Mohammad Bagheri, and six senior nuclear scientists.
Psychological Warfare in Operational Form
Rising Lion didn’t emerge in isolation. It was built directly on Operation Grim Beeper, where Mossad used communication devices as weapons, exploding Hezbollah’s gear in Beirut and southern Lebanon. The psychological impact of that operation disrupted trust, command flow, and internal cohesion.
In Rising Lion, the same principle was applied at a national scale. Embedded loitering drones, timed munitions, and cyber payloads were activated from within Iran’s infrastructure. As key systems failed and defences crumbled, commanders faced not only kinetic losses, but the realisation that parts of their network had turned against them.
Strategic Messaging and Contained Escalation
Iran has responded with drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting Israeli cities. Several penetrated defences, resulting in civilian impact.
Despite this, Iran’s strikes have remained limited in operational scope. Israel’s deterrent position is clear: further targeting of civilians will trigger direct retaliation against Iran’s political leadership, energy infrastructure, and military command. That posture continues to shape Tehran’s calculations and contain wider escalation, for now.
Operational Lessons for the Modern Battlespace
- Sabotage before SEAD: Internal disruption neutralised air defences without the need for high-risk suppression campaigns.
- Real-time intelligence fusion: HUMINT, SIGINT, cyber and kinetic assets operated as one integrated kill chain.
- Leadership targeting cripples systems: Precision decapitation removed key decision-makers, causing command breakdown.
- Psychological shock accelerates collapse: When infrastructure turns against its owners, panic outpaces resistance.
- Credible escalation control matters: Israel paired operational success with clear red lines, avoiding prolonged conflict.
A Playbook for Strategic Superiority
Operation Rising Lion is more than a case study—it’s a working model for fifth-generation combat. It demonstrates how a state actor can combine clandestine assets, cyber warfare, and precision airpower to alter a conflict environment in under a day.
For defence professionals, the takeaway is clear: integrated operations must begin long before the first sortie and end only when the enemy’s system—not just its forces—is incapacitated. This is what mission readiness looks like in a future fight.
MSS Defence delivers the tools, systems, and support to prepare your force for tomorrow’s fights. Talk to us. Be ready when it counts.
