Direct proof of use
The F-35I Adir is directly documented in the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict through Israeli military releases and post-operation analysis. In the June 2025 Operation Rising Lion air offensive, Foreign Policy Research Institute analysis says F-35I Adir aircraft appeared prominently in IDF footage and photos from the early and later stages of the campaign, and that Adir squadrons played an extensive role in the operation.
The clearest official weapon-specific incidents came during renewed March 2026 Israel-Iran fighting. On March 4, the IDF said an Adir F-35I struck a loaded surface-to-surface missile launcher in the Khorramabad area of western Iran. The same IDF update reported that an Israeli Air Force F-35I shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130 over Tehran; a follow-up IDF article described the aircraft as an Adir F-35I operating over Iranian skies.
Sources: FPRI Rising Lion Air Offensive, IDF March 4 Iran-Israel War Updates, IDF F-35I Yak-130 Shootdown Details
Operational role
The documented Adir role was not limited to one target type. Open-source military analysis places the F-35I inside Israel's deep air campaign over Iran, with FPRI describing Israeli fighter and UAV strikes against nuclear-related, ballistic-missile, air-defense, command, and infrastructure targets across multiple provinces. That account treats the Adir as a central penetrating platform in the campaign rather than a peripheral aircraft.
JINSA's postwar report says Israeli aircraft entering Iranian airspace were led by F-35s, including cases where F-35s escorted F-15 and F-16 formations from distance. That supports the Adir's role as a strike-package enabler and air-superiority asset, while the IDF's March 2026 claims add two specific combat tasks: destruction of a loaded missile launcher and interception of a manned Iranian aircraft.
Sources: FPRI Rising Lion Air Offensive, JINSA Rising Lion Insights, IDF March 4 Iran-Israel War Updates, IDF F-35I Yak-130 Shootdown Details
Conflict context
The broader conflict began on June 13, 2025, when Israel launched a major military operation against Iran that included air strikes and reported covert action. CRS describes Iranian retaliation with waves of ballistic missiles against Israel, followed by U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 and a ceasefire announced for June 24.
Within that context, the Adir evidence supports a use profile centered on long-range strike, interdiction, and air defense. The strongest public sources identify the aircraft and the operator, but they do not disclose every Adir sortie, exact mission load, or the complete division of labor among Israeli F-35I, F-15I, F-16I, UAV, and standoff-munition assets.
Sources: CRS Israel-Iran Conflict and Ceasefire, FPRI Rising Lion Air Offensive, JINSA Rising Lion Insights
