Direct proof of use
The F-15I Ra'am was documented in Israeli use during the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict as part of Operation Rising Lion. RUSI's first-72-hours assessment said IDF videos showed F-15I, F-16I, and F-35I aircraft involved in the operation, while Business Insider reported that IDF photos showed F-15I Ra'am jets preparing to strike Iran.
FPRI's later air-offensive study provides the most specific public munition evidence for the Ra'am in the campaign: it says subsequent IDF footage showed BRU-61/A racks with GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs being loaded onto F-15I Ra'am aircraft. The same study identifies the Ra'am as Israel's F-15E-derived two-seat strike fighter and notes that JDAM and SDB weapons appeared extensively in Rising Lion imagery.
Sources: RUSI Operation Rising Lion First 72 Hours, Business Insider F-15I Iran Photos, FPRI Rising Lion Air Offensive Part I
Timeline
On June 13, 2025, Israel opened Operation Rising Lion against Iran. CRS, reproduced by USNI News, describes the opening as a major Israeli operation including air strikes and reported covert action, followed by Iranian ballistic-missile retaliation.
IDF material from June 13 showed Israeli Air Force aircraft taking off and landing as part of Operation Rising Lion. RUSI cited those IDF videos as showing a range of aircraft involved, including F-15I, F-16I, and F-35I.
By June 18, the IDF said dozens of IAF fighter jets had been operating over Iran and striking Iranian-regime military targets, supported by more than 600 aerial refuelings. Business Insider, also writing on June 18, reported that IDF photos showed F-15I Ra'am jets preparing to strike Iran.
Sources: USNI CRS Israel-Iran Conflict, IDF IAF Activity Rising Lion, RUSI Operation Rising Lion First 72 Hours, IDF 600 Aerial Refuelings, Business Insider F-15I Iran Photos
Narrative
The Ra'am's supported role in the conflict was long-range strike and interdiction. Public reporting connects it to Israel's fighter force in the opening air campaign, not to a separate transfer, capture, or possession-only claim.
The available public record identifies the aircraft more clearly than individual target assignments. CRS and USNI summarize the broader Israeli operation as strikes against Iranian nuclear, military, government, and energy targets, while RUSI describes the first phase as also striking military leadership, conventional military sites, ballistic-missile production and storage, and air defenses. Those sources frame the campaign, but the F-15I-specific evidence remains aircraft involvement and SDB carriage rather than a verified target-by-target sortie log.
The F-15I evidence also separates carrier aircraft from munitions. FPRI ties GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb racks to F-15I Ra'am loading footage during Rising Lion, while other reporting discusses JDAM, SPICE, and other precision weapons across Israeli fighter types. This record therefore treats the Ra'am as the strike platform and identifies GBU-39/B carriage only where directly supported.
Sources: USNI CRS Israel-Iran Conflict, RUSI Operation Rising Lion First 72 Hours, FPRI Rising Lion Air Offensive Part I, Business Insider Air Superiority Analysis
