TEHRAN — In a major escalation of "Operation Roaring Lion," a joint task force of U.S. and Israeli aircraft launched a massive, coordinated air assault on the Parchin military complex late Saturday night of March 28, 2026. The strikes, which residents in eastern Tehran described as a "night of thunder," targeted some of the most secretive and heavily fortified military infrastructure in the Islamic Republic.
The Parchin military complex, situated approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran, has long been categorized by international intelligence agencies as a cornerstone of Iran’s strategic weapons programs. A primary objective of the recent raid was the systematic destruction of advanced facilities dedicated to casting solid-fuel rocket motors, which serve as a critical component for the country’s long-range ballistic missile arsenal.
Furthermore, reports from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicate that the bombardment successfully leveled several structures previously linked to explosive testing for nuclear-weapons research. To ensure the mission's success, the operation also neutralized multiple local air defense batteries, allowing coalition jets to strike their targets with high precision and minimal interference.
The operation involved over 60 fighter jets and a barrage of more than 150 precision-guided munitions. U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones provided real-time targeting data, while Israeli F-35 "Adir" stealth fighters spearheaded the penetration of Tehran’s contested airspace. Satellite imagery analyzed after the strike confirms "significant material damage" to at least 12 key structures, effectively crippling the site’s current manufacturing capacity.
The strikes on Parchin were not isolated. Concurrent raids hit the Kouhak military base and an IRGC compound on the Artesh Highway, while industrial sites like a major petrochemical plant were also caught in the crossfire.
In immediate retaliation, Iran launched a Ghadr-110 ballistic missile at an industrial hub in southern Israel near Dimona. As the conflict enters its second month, the destruction of Parchin represents a decisive blow to Iran’s defense-industrial base, significantly degrading its ability to replenish the missile stockpiles used in regional counter-strikes.