Built in Silence, Delivered in Fire: Israel’s ‘Rising Lion’ Will be Studied for Years to Come

COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating

It was designed in the shadows and delivered in fire. Operation Rising Lion is more than a military strike – it’s also a case study in elite-level warfighting, a stunning demonstration of what happens when clandestine missions, surgical airpower, and special operations converge with precision and purpose.

Launched late Thursday and continuing into Friday, Israel’s preemptive assault on Iran hit dozens of high-value targets tied to Tehran’s nuclear and military programs. The strike obliterated infrastructure, eliminated senior Iranian officials, and left the regime scrambling to respond. It is a real-world seminar in how to conduct a decisive operation, planned over years, and executed in hours.

The groundwork began long ago, with Mossad teams infiltrating Iranian territory and quietly establishing a secret drone launch site just outside Tehran.

Under the guise of ordinary activity, weapons systems were smuggled into Iran, to ensure that when the Israeli Air Force moved in, the skies would already be theirs. When the time came to launch, the drones first prepped the battlefield, striking surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel.

And then came the hammer.

Aircraft launched from Israeli bases delivered payloads to critical targets. The mission was preemptive, precise, and total. Iran’s retaliation – more than 100 drones – never made it through. Every single one was intercepted or neutralized.

By Friday morning, officials in Israel had lifted all domestic protective emergency restrictions, while pressing the strikes on Iran.

“We are continuing with the two main efforts we defined for ourselves, the defensive effort and the offensive effort,” the IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told journalists on Friday. He expects “difficult moments,” and adds that the IDF has trained for a range of scenarios.

I’m sure that it has. Extensively.

From the silent fields where Mossad drones took flight to the thunder of airstrikes that followed, Operation Rising Lion is striking a decisive blow. It also sends a clear message to those who analyze warfare. 

This is what a complex plan looks like. Operation Rising Lion will be studied for years to come.

Susan Katz Keating is publisher and editor in chief of Soldier of Fortune.