Iranian state media has unexpectedly released video showing Israel’s opening strike on an Iranian radar installation during the first barrage of the June 2025 12-Day War, a move that appears to inadvertently validate key details of Israel’s precision operations. The nighttime footage, captured in infrared, shows a direct hit on the radar site followed by a brief time discontinuity, likely the product of automated motion-triggered recording rather than editing.

The release marks a rare moment in which Tehran’s own outlets confirm the effectiveness of an Israeli strike, particularly one that occurred in the opening minutes of the conflict. According to intelligence summaries from the time, Israel launched a sweeping preemptive campaign between June 15 and June 26, destroying more than 70 Iranian air defense batteries and multiple high-value nuclear facilities designed to shield Iran’s weapons program.

The war erupted after Israel determined that Iranian air defense positioning and nuclear site preparations constituted a strategic threat. Israel’s first wave of strikes neutralized critical radar sites like the one shown in the newly released footage, sharply degrading Iran’s ability to detect incoming aircraft and paving the way for sustained precision operations across the country.

Iran retaliated with mass missile barrages that killed 28 Israelis, while Israel’s air campaign, along with Iranian misfires, resulted in 610 Iranian deaths. The conflict concluded only after firm U.S. mediation—brokered under an administration determined to contain Iran’s regional aggression while reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense.

The publication of the strike footage by Iranian television raises questions about internal coordination within Tehran’s media system, but it also underscores a larger truth: even Iran’s tightly controlled outlets cannot fully obscure the scale of Israeli military dominance during the 12-Day War. The video stands as visual confirmation of how swiftly Israel dismantled Iran’s early-warning network, reshaping the course of the conflict within hours of its opening salvo.