Israeli observers could clearly deduce that Iranian intelligence was interpreting the empty skies as a sign that an Israeli attack was imminent that night.
By Hezy Laing
A retired IDF Brigadier General revealed that a sudden, routine change in United States flight patterns over Iraq nearly compromised the element of surprise for the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) opening strike on Iran during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025.
The retired Brig. Gen. who commanded the control center in the IAF’s underground command post, recounted that the moment Israeli aircraft took off toward Iran, U.S. planes routinely stationed in Iraq unexpectedly landed at their bases, clearing the skies.
Israeli observers could clearly deduce that Iranian intelligence was interpreting the empty skies as a sign that an Israeli attack was imminent that night.
More than a year after the operation ended, the general described how the Air Force commander immediately called senior CENTCOM officers and asked them to take off again at once to restore the usual aerial picture.
In the spirit of the excellent cooperation between the two forces, the American commanders instantly agreed, asking only what was needed before complying with the request to mimic the previous day’s flight patterns.
By then, however, Iran had already realized that something was happening and targets began moving to protected locations.
The Israeli command instructed the aircraft to hold their positions just minutes before releasing their munitions while the situation was assessed.
The Air Force commander personally went to the intelligence cell to consult with the young officers there regarding the developing situation.
The intelligence officers calmly replied that they had multiple contingency plans ready and would decide which one to activate depending on the circumstances.
For several long and tense minutes, the pilots in the air were updated on the changes while the command team monitored Iranian movements.
At the same time, Israeli defense officials detected that the Iranian side was beginning to relax and potentially disperse.
Fearing that the targets might scatter to different locations, then-Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar ordered personnel in real time to make a little noise so Iranian suspicions would return.
What happened next was not only that the senior commanders remained in place, but that more officials arrived after being summoned for consultations.
At 2:43 a.m., the first Israeli munitions struck their targets with great success, initiating a blitz involving wave after wave of strikes against command-and-control sites, surface-to-surface missile sites, and air-superiority targets.
These details were published in the book “12 Days in June,” edited by Hilik Sion and based on 52 interviews with senior defense figures.
The book was presented to President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, and General Michael Kurilla as a definitive account of the operation.
