WATCH: Bird’s-Eye Video Shows U.S.-Israel Strike That Stopped Iran Missiles Cold

Dramatic new footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows what officials say is the moment Israeli and U.S. forces struck deep inside western Iran — wiping out missile units and key defense systems before they could fire on Israel.

The black-and-white aerial videos, captured from high above the battlefield, show what appears to be Iranian missile infrastructure nestled into rugged terrain. Crosshairs hover over the site. Seconds later, plumes of smoke erupt as precision strikes hammer the target.

According to the IDF, the footage is part of Operation Roaring Lion, a “broad and joint operation” carried out alongside U.S. armed forces aimed at degrading what it calls the Iranian regime’s “existential threat” to Israel.

The videos come as tensions exploded overnight.

????STRUCK: Operatives from the Iranian regime’s surface-to- surface missiles unit as they loaded a missile launcher and prepared to immediately launch towards Israel.

The threat was identified and quickly struck, preventing the launch aimed toward Israel. pic.twitter.com/nMcOeOtleX

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 28, 2026

????WATCH: IDF strikes hundreds of targets in western Iran as part of Operation Roaring Lion pic.twitter.com/KYMYVL8DOQ

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 28, 2026

“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel,” the military said in a statement. Defensive systems were activated immediately as barrages were detected. Israel’s Home Front Command pushed precautionary alerts directly to mobile phones in affected areas while the Aerial Defense Array intercepted incoming threats.

Follow The Daily Wire’s live-blog coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran.

An additional barrage of missiles was later launched toward Israel, according to the IDF.

But the counterpunch came swiftly.

The IDF said it struck operatives from Iran’s surface-to-surface missile unit as they were actively loading a launcher and preparing to fire toward Israel. The threat was “identified and quickly struck,” preventing the launch.

In addition, Israeli forces targeted multiple strategic aerial defense systems — including what the IDF described as an advanced SA-65 system in the Kermanshah region of western Iran.

The military said hundreds of targets were struck as part of the operation.

President Donald Trump addressed the joint operation early Saturday morning, framing the action as both defensive and necessary.

Trump described the strikes as a “major combat operation” targeting the Iranian regime’s military capabilities and reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to threaten Israel or destabilize the region.

He also delivered a direct message to the Iranian people, distinguishing them from the ruling regime and signaling that the U.S. sees the conflict as being with Tehran’s leadership — not its citizens.

The president has long taken a hard line on Iran, withdrawing from the Obama-era nuclear deal during his first term and re-imposing sweeping sanctions. His administration has repeatedly warned that Iran’s continued financing and arming of proxy forces on Israel’s borders — including Hezbollah and other militant groups — would not go unanswered.

The IDF echoed that message in its statement, saying that the Iranian regime “has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel” and continues to finance, train, and arm proxies positioned along Israel’s borders — actions it says pose a threat not only to Israel, but to the broader Middle East and the world.

The newly released footage underscores how quickly the confrontation has moved from shadow conflict to open strikes.