Gen. “R” Brigadier General of the Israel Defense Forces Hazerim Air Base spoke to The Washington Post about tracking Iranian ballistic missile crews and the dangers of air defense systems, even when they have total air superiority.
The Israeli F-15 was the plane used to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s top military leader. Along with F-16s and F-35s, they were also part of the critical February 28 offensive that disrupted the Islamic regime’s ability to launch devastating salvos of massive ballistic missiles into Israel, and have continued to pursue missile teams since then.
Brigadier General “R” of the Israel Defense Forces Hazerim Air Base, who commands the F-15 and F-16 squadrons, was recently interviewed in his first interview with an English-language publication jerusalem post Tells a fuller story of the mission to track the ballistic missile team.
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Largest air raid in Israeli history
In the opening attack, which “R” called the largest air assault in Israeli history, involving some 250 aircraft (if you include support aircraft), his F-15s and F-16s attacked Iranian air defenses to gain air superiority and ballistic missiles to defend the rear.
Starting from the third day of the war, the number of ballistic missiles launched by Iran had dropped to a militarily “controllable” number. By the fourth day, the number of missiles had dropped to about 20. Most of them were below this number, and they often dropped even lower thereafter.
On April 1, 2026, in Tehran, Iran, a police officer stood guard on the street during the conflict between the United States and Israel. (Photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (West Asia News Agency), via Reuters)
At almost every moment of the war, Israeli aircraft searched for and struck ballistic missile groups and targets. “The Air Force has been circling Iran,” R told the Washington Post.
He explains how this fight between the two sides involves multiple outcomes.
Sometimes, Iran manages to spread its force enough to launch a handful of missiles, but other times, the air force either destroys a missile team or prevents the team from launching missiles while the team is distracted trying to avoid being attacked.
R said Iran has not achieved its goal of zero ballistic missiles, but he also said “if even one ballistic missile hits, we have seen the consequences of it” causing massive civilian harm, so he is committed to significantly reducing the firepower of F-15s and F-16s.
Despite the damage Iran has inflicted on Israel, R noted, “the damage to the rear needs to be kept within limits. We also have incredible air defense systems” that have saved countless lives.
This war is not the first time the Hazerim squadron has played a leading role, they also played a key role in the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024 and the war against Iran in June 2025.
Changes to the parting shot of the final moments of the war
One issue “R” was willing to discuss about the war’s opening attack was the last-minute decision by Israel and the United States to postpone the initial attack from the evening of February 27 to the morning of February 28.
“The morning of the attack, it was surprising [that the time of attack changed from Friday evening to Saturday morning]but we are prepared and at an advanced stage of operational readiness and have laid a deep foundation for attack plans so that we can easily and quickly adapt to any changes,” R.
He continued: “We were able to adapt to achieve mission goals. These were very complex changes to the program, but I’m proud that we were able to successfully achieve these goals in a very short period of time because of our top talent.”
Another challenge R faces is keeping some of its own commanders in the dark to help convince the outside world and the Iranians to remain vigilant while maintaining a high level of mission readiness.
“The hardest part was maintaining the advantage of surprise. You need to balance secrecy with readiness, so a lot of Air Force commanders didn’t even know about the operation,” he said, until almost the last moment.
But at the same time, “we train for every situation, even the most difficult ones.”
On March 31, an IDF spokesman stated that 100% of the “key” and “important” targets in Iran on the air force’s list had been destroyed.
In fact, as early as mid-March, IDF sources stated that more than 75% of the targets had been destroyed.
If so, what have R and his F-15s and F-16s bombed since then, and why were their attacks necessary?
R replied, explaining the difference between his squadron’s strikes against Iran during the June 2025 war and now. “The difference between Rising Lion and now is huge. Take dentistry for example. Rising Lion is a targeted emergency tooth filling to eliminate the immediate threat,” he said.
“This is a complete root canal. There are no random or arbitrary attacks. There is always sequence and priority. We also want to further pressure Iran so their commanders are reduced to third or fourth rate replacements. Intelligence tells us they feel hunted,” R asserted.
Next, he said, “We want to take away the entire military industry. We have accomplished key and necessary objectives, but not all of them. We are ready for a longer war if necessary, and have been before. We have the spirit of a warrior.”
R noted that before this war, “before the IDF started bombing, Iran’s military industry was 50 times the size of Israel’s.”
He added, “Iran is a big country. The 100 important headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij and the Ministry of Internal Security are very large, each the size of Israel’s main military headquarters.”
Does Israel have air superiority over Iran?
“R” is extremely proud that the Air Force achieved total air supremacy over the Islamic Republic in just 24 hours in this conflict.
This means drones and other aircraft can fly lower and even hover over certain targets, especially moving and dynamic targets.
But he added, “Even air superiority was not 100 percent. The Iranians learned and got better.”
R doesn’t need to know about the recent downing of two U.S. planes by Iran, including one of his brother F-15s, to understand the ongoing danger his squadron still faces.
“Almost every wave of attacks is met by Iranian air defenses,” he said, giving the public a picture they often don’t see or hear.
R himself had to dodge Iranian anti-aircraft weapons fired at him.
Describing his experience, he said: “You are on the edge – 1,500 kilometers from home. That was after we had already achieved our goal. I felt the need to focus on my professional skills.”
“Some people get nervous for a moment and in that moment [when evading Iranian air defenses]. I’m proud that our pilots have overcome their fears. They have depth of character and courage. All pilots are still fighting for the next wave of attacks,” and there are only so many pilots available to fly in each wave, and they need to be rotated.
He added, “The process of flying to Iran is very complex. It’s a long flight with unusual adversities along the way. Many of the other countries and areas you have to fly over or close to are also enemy territory. And, the aircraft has a soul and has all kinds of physical needs, refueling and other maintenance issues,” making a flight to Iran more challenging than a typical close-quarters Air Force flight.
Furthermore, he said, “We train for this for a long time, but seven hours in the cockpit is a lot. It’s not business class and going to the bathroom is a challenge.”
When asked if it was too risky to fly to Iran with his squadron as commander of the entire Hazerim base, R responded bluntly: “As a commander, you need to lead your soldiers into the ‘battlefield.’ I can feel the missiles, the enemy, the challenges, all the atmosphere in real time, and what it’s like to be refueling in the air, whether it’s an Israeli team or an American team.”
Working with the U.S. Air Force
When asked to describe the relationship with the U.S. Air Force, he responded: “It is truly historic and unprecedented. Israel has never had direct operational cooperation with any other country’s air force. The United States has never had such cooperation with any other country – the military relationship is indeed close.”
“I personally went to attack Iran and refuel over Iraq, and the U.S. military talked to them in English and told the whole story of my mission,” he said.
In addition, R said, “This is not just me sending out some kind of approved official message. I am really proud and honored to serve alongside Central Command. Every Air Force has its own advantages, but we are the two strongest Air Forces in the world.”
“We will not stop. This is not over. We will achieve our military objectives. Iran will not get any discounts.”
R said he was also very proud of the diverse group of Israelis who run Hazerim, including men, women, religious, secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardim, people from all ethnic backgrounds – even 67-year-old reservists – and that’s how we win! “
Additionally, he said he is honored by the service of all the logistics, maintenance and engineering Soldiers, in addition to the pilots in the cockpit, who make the operation of Hazerim possible.
These could include hundreds of soldiers, especially when Israeli Intelligence Command and Operations Command soldiers help find and plan targets.
“Maintenance and support staff are working around the clock,” he said.
Were his pilots running low on energy after an unprecedented five weeks of long-range bombing missions?
R said his pilots will realize the importance of this moment. Hazerim won’t stop. Even if we need to keep flying past Pentecost [on May 22] We are ready and have enough ammunition. “
On the night of the Passover Seder, he said his pilots were over Iran doing everything they could to reduce the regime’s threat to the country on one of its liberation holidays.
He said that when he got into the cockpit or sent pilots into war, he always kept in mind that they were fighting for their children and grandchildren, especially one of his own children who had special needs and had a very hard time with the missile sirens.
He emphasized the regime’s unique dangers, noting that many of Israel’s adversaries have said they want to eliminate Israel, but only Iran is truly acting in a way that is likely to achieve that goal (pursuing nuclear weapons and massive ballistic missile weapons) and truly believes it can achieve its goals.
He concluded: “We need to overthrow this regime. Not only for the sake of Israel’s existence, but also for the sake of humanity. We saw their actions in the recent protests in which they slaughtered their own people. This is for the good, the ‘light’ side of humanity.”