Israeli warplanes have carried out one of their most daring raids of the war, obliterating a row of Iran’s ageing but iconic F‑14 Tomcat fighter jets and pounding an adjoining IRGC military base in a precision night strike on central Iran, defence sources say.

Satellite and drone footage shared with select media appears to show at least half a dozen F‑14s parked wing‑to‑wing on an airbase apron moments before impact. Seconds later, a string of guided bombs rips through the line, setting off huge secondary explosions as fuel and munitions cook off, hurling burning debris across the tarmac and leaving only twisted fuselage skeletons.

Israeli officials, speaking off the record, frame the strike as both tactical and symbolic: the F‑14s—relics of pre‑revolution US–Iran ties—were still used as long‑range interceptors and prestige aircraft for the IRGC Aerospace Force. Nearby, the same raid hit hardened shelters, command bunkers and air‑defence radars at the IRGC base, which Israel says supported recent missile and drone attacks on its cities.

Tehran admits “material damage” and casualties at “one of our air facilities” but insists several Tomcats were moved beforehand and vows that surviving aircraft and missiles will answer “with interest.” State TV shows wounded airmen in hospital beds and flames licking at shattered hangars, while commentators accuse Israel and the US of trying to break Iranian morale.

For military analysts, the message is stark: by blowing Iran’s rare F‑14s into pieces and exposing gaps in base protection, Israel has shown it can reach deep into the IRGC’s proudest ᴀssets. The question now gripping both capitals is whether this spectacular strike will curb Iran’s appeтιтe for escalation—or push it toward an even riskier round of retaliation.