Direct proof of use
Israeli F-16I Sufa aircraft were used by the Israeli Air Force during Operation Rising Lion, the June 2025 Israeli air campaign against Iran. Foreign Policy Research Institute analysis identifies F-16I Sufa fighters from The Bat Squadron among the aircraft that struck multiple aimpoints at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Complex in Isfahan province, and also describes IDF-released photos and footage of F-16I aircraft carrying GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, SPICE 1000 weapons, and Rampage missiles during the operation.
RUSI's first-72-hours assessment separately states that IDF-released videos showed F-15I, F-16I, and F-35I aircraft involved in the operation. The IDF described Operation Rising Lion as a 12-day campaign launched on June 13, 2025, in which IAF fighter jets and other forces struck Iranian nuclear infrastructure, missile production facilities, military headquarters, air defense systems, and senior commanders.
Sources: Rising Lion Air Offensive FPRI, RUSI First 72 Hours, IDF One Year Since Rising Lion
Timeline
On June 13, 2025, Israel opened Operation Rising Lion with large-scale air strikes against Iran. JINSA's same-day update reported more than 200 Israeli fighter jets striking roughly 100 sites with more than 330 munitions, while RUSI reported that IDF videos showed F-16I aircraft among the aircraft involved in the opening phase.
FPRI's later air-offensive analysis ties F-16I Sufa aircraft to the first-day Natanz strikes and to IDF imagery from the early hours and first days of the campaign. It identifies F-16I aircraft carrying GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, SPICE 1000 weapons, and Rampage missiles in sortie-preparation or departure imagery associated with strikes against Iran.
Sources: JINSA June 13 Update, RUSI First 72 Hours, Rising Lion Air Offensive FPRI
Narrative
The F-16's documented role in the conflict was as an Israeli strike aircraft, specifically the F-16I Sufa variant adapted for long-range Israeli missions. FPRI describes The Bat Squadron's F-16Is as part of the aircraft package that attacked Natanz, and notes that IDF imagery showed F-16Is from Knights of the Orange Tail carrying eight GBU-39/B bombs on BRU-61/A carriage systems during the early hours of the air offensive.
The same analysis describes additional F-16I loadout evidence during Rising Lion: F-16Is and F-15A/C/Ds carrying SPICE 1000 weapons on the nights of June 13-14, June 14-15, and June 17-18, and an F-16I from Knights of the Orange Tail armed with two Rampage missiles during the initial hours of the campaign. Those details support a precision-strike role rather than mere possession or deployment.
The publicly available sources do not provide a complete sortie-by-sortie breakdown for the F-16 fleet. They do, however, directly place Israeli F-16I Sufa aircraft in the operation, connect them to strike aimpoints at Natanz, and document conflict-specific precision-weapon carriage in IDF-released imagery.
Sources: Rising Lion Air Offensive FPRI
