Yak-130: Israeli Combat Footage Shows Strikes on Iranian Jets as Air War Intensifies
yak-130 is drawing fresh attention as Israel releases new combat footage showing strikes on Iranian fighter jets preparing to take off. The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes hit two American-made aircraft—an F-5 and an F-4—at an airport in Tabriz in western Iran on Sunday morning (ET time not specified in official statements included here). The videos land as joint U. S. -Israeli operations against Iran continue, with both militaries saying the campaign will extend into the coming weeks.
What the IDF says happened in Tabriz
The Israel Defense Forces released video it said shows direct hits on two Iranian fighter jets at the Tabriz airport in western Iran. The IDF said the aircraft were struck as they were preparing to take off, describing the mission as part of a broader effort “to degrade the Iranian Air Force’s activities and to further expand the degradation of their aerial defense. ”
The footage shows strikes on an F-5 and an F-4—both described as vintage American-made platforms still operated by Iran. The IDF’s stated rationale focused on limiting Iranian air activity and widening pressure on Iran’s aerial defenses.
Missile evasion footage and the scope of ongoing sorties
In separate footage released Monday evening (ET time not specified in the material provided), the IDF showed an Israeli fighter pilot evading an Iranian interceptor missile launched toward his aircraft. In the video, the pilot can be heard warning of “another launch” and describing climbing maneuvers to evade the missile.
The Israel Air Force has carried out approximately 1, 000 combat sorties in the skies of Iran, conducting joint strikes with the U. S. Air Force on facilities linked to what Israel describes as the Islamic regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and the Basij militia.
For its part, the U. S. military said Monday it had struck over 1, 250 targets in Iran since operations began on Saturday. In a separate statement, U. S. Central Command said it struck and destroyed 11 Iranian ships.
Immediate reactions from official institutions
The IDF’s public position on the Tabriz strikes was explicit: the attacks were intended to degrade Iranian Air Force activity and further expand the degradation of aerial defense capabilities.
The U. S. military, in its own statements, framed its operations as aimed at crippling Iran’s military, while also providing cumulative figures for targets struck since the start of operations on Saturday.
Quick context on Iran’s aging fleet and why it matters now
Iran’s fleet includes older U. S. -made aircraft, including the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and legacy Northrop F-5s, as well as U. S. -provided Tomcats. The material provided states that international sanctions and embargoes have prevented modernization, with operational rates falling sharply due to difficulty sustaining upgrades and spare parts.
One estimate cited in the provided material places Iran’s inventory at about 60 F-4s, fewer than 50 F-5s, and 20 to 30 F-14s, while noting Iran has kept some aircraft flying through reverse-engineering.
What’s next
Both Israel and the United States have said the operations will continue into the coming weeks, and the new releases of combat footage suggest a sustained messaging push alongside ongoing strikes. With yak-130 now appearing in the same fast-moving search stream as air-combat videos and strike announcements, the next milestones to watch are additional official releases, further tallies of sorties and targets, and any new institutional statements clarifying the pace and focus of the campaign.
