How the US and Israel weakened and blinded Iran to take control of its skies in the opening hours

The US and Israel managed to quickly establish air superiority above Iran in the opening stages of the current conflict, allowing aircraft from the two countries to operate freely.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Monday that the US began its operations against Iran on Saturday by "layering non-kinetic effects, disrupting, and degrading, and blinding Iran's ability to see, communicate, and respond."

That action taken by the US cyber and space commands preceded the launch of more than 100 aircraft — a mix of fighter jets, electronic attack jets, refueling tankers, command planes, bombers, and drones — from both sea and land.

Caine said the initial phase focused on targeting Iran's command and control facilities, naval forces, ballistic missile sites, and intelligence infrastructure and was "designed to daze and confuse them."

US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, also said its forces targeted Iran's integrated air defense systems, among other military installations.

"The combined impact of these strikes — swift, precise, and overwhelming — has resulted in the establishment of local air superiority," Caine said, adding that this will allow US forces to operate more safely and freely above Iran.

His comments came after Israel announced that its fighter jets had secured air superiority above Iran, awarding it a major tactical advantage.

Just a few hours after the operation began on Saturday, the Israeli military said strikes on Iranian air defense systems allowed it to expand "aerial superiority" over Iran.

An E-2D Hawkeye command aircraft prepares to land on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday. US Navy photo

On Sunday, Israel said it had "dismantled" most air defense systems in western and central Iran and was working toward establishing air superiority over Tehran. Later in the day, the military said that it achieved that.

The ability to fly uncontested above Iran means US and Israeli fighter jets could elect to use shorter-range precision munitions instead of more costly standoff weapons, which are fired from a distance beyond the range of some air defenses.

Israel said that it achieved air superiority over large portions of Iran's territory, including Tehran, during the brief conflict between the two bitter foes in June 2025.

Establishing air superiority does not eliminate risk entirely, though, both inside Iran and beyond. Air operations in such a complex environment are inherently risky.

Earlier on Monday, Kuwaiti air defenses "mistakenly" shot down three US F-15E fighter jets during combat operations. The US military described it as "an apparent friendly fire incident." The six crew members all ejected safely and are in stable condition, military officials said.

Caine said that the US has launched hundreds of missions from land and sea since the start of the operation, which the Pentagon has named Epic Fury, and delivered "tens of thousands of pieces of ordnance." The Israeli military said on Monday that it had destroyed roughly 600 infrastructure sites with 2,500 munitions.

More than 500 people have been killed across Iran in the American and Israeli strikes, according to local tallies. Israel said that it has killed more than 40 Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Iran has fought back against the strikes by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, several bases housing US troops in the Gulf, and a majority of the countries in the region, killing more than a dozen people, including at least four American service members.

The US and its regional allies said they have shot down hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones.

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