When Iranian Revolutionary Guards Major General Saffavi announced on television that 16 Israeli pilots were killed in a missile attack, the smoke from the Persian Gulf suddenly overcame the international public opinion.

This statement on September 27th not only pushed regional conflicts to a new climax, but also triggered a geopolitical chain reaction by mentioning accusations of aid from major powers.

From the Tehran Declaration of Victory to the emergency response in Tel Aviv, brief words instantly sparked the already tense Middle East, pushing the long-hidden confrontation between Iran and Israel to the brink of openness and sharpness.

Continued escalation of conflict in the Middle East

On September 27, 2025, Major General Safawi of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps made a major statement on the recent situation in the Middle East in a current affairs interview program on Iranian state television.

He claimed that Iran successfully killed 16 Israeli Air Force pilots in its missile operation against Israel, and particularly emphasized that the operation received "technical support from big countries". This news quickly triggered a shock in international public opinion and became the focus of global media attention that day.

This statement is not an isolated incident, but a continuation of the recent Iran-Israel military confrontation, since the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in 2024, the conflict between the two sides in Syria, Lebanon and other places has escalated.

In August 2025, Israel launched a massive air strike on Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, destroying several of its missile launch bases.

In response, Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles on the south of Israel on September 15, 17 of which broke through the Israeli Iron Dome defense system, hitting an air base in the Negev desert.

The Israeli Defense Army subsequently acknowledged that the attack caused "significant damage to facilities", but declined to disclose concrete casualties, while Safawi's statement, for the first time, focused the conflict on casualties.

The news of the 16 pilots being killed, if true, would be the Israeli air force's worst single personal loss since the 1982 Beka Valley air struggle.

The core content of Safawi's statement

During the 45-minute television interview, Safawi was wearing a Revolutionary Guard costume with the background of the Iranian flag and missile models.

He first identified the target of the September 15 missile attack as ¡°the core facilities of the Israeli Air Force¡± and detailed the process of the attack: ¡°Our ¡®Conqueror-110¡¯ upgraded missile uses a missile warhead, releasing six ammunition at the end of the flight, precisely covering the target area.¡±

As for the casualties, Safawi said: ¡°According to the intelligence we have obtained, 16 Israeli pilots were killed in the attack, including three F-35I fighter squadron commanders.¡±

In particular, he emphasized that the technological breakthrough of this operation benefited from "satellite guidance and terminal correction technology provided by a big country", which improved the missile accuracy from the original 50 meters to less than 10 meters.

Asked about the specific direction of the "great power", Saffavi did not respond directly, but referred to "the country has long-term cooperation with Iran in the field of air defense."

This statement was interpreted by the outside world as pointing to Russia. After all, Russia and Iran signed an S-400 air defense system technology transfer agreement in 2024, and the Russian "GLONASS" satellite system was exposed to provide mid-course guidance support for Iranian missiles.

In July 2025, Russia signed an extended agreement on military-technical cooperation, which clearly included the terms of "joint development of missile technology".

In addition, the Russian Alliance-2 carrier rocket has launched the Iranian military reconnaissance satellite "Nol-1", which can provide real-time target data to support precise missile strikes.

Evidence controversy from Israel

Israeli Defence Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the day after the attack, ¡°All key personnel have been evacuated to the underground shelter, no pilots were killed in the attack.¡±

But the Israeli Times on September 20 quoted anonymous military reports as saying that the Negev base did have ¡°persons trapped¡±, but the exact numbers are highly classified.

The analysis of the international think tank "Conflict Weapons Research" (CAR) pointed out that Iran used the "Conqueror-110" improved missile, its bullethead weight increased from 300 kilograms to 480 kilograms, and the use of composite materials to reduce the radar reflection area.

By comparing satellite images, the agency found that a 12-metre-diameter ammunition pit appeared after the attack, matching Iran¡¯s claimed ¡°ammunition coverage.¡±

However, the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that the death toll of 16 pilots ¡°lacks reliable evidence to support.¡±

The report noted that the total number of Israeli air force pilots is about 350, scattered across six bases, and the likelihood of a single attack causing such massive casualties is extremely low, but the agency also acknowledged that the Iranian missile¡¯s end-to-end maneuverability was ¡°over-expected¡± and could cause accidental injuries to personnel.

The mystery of the truth of the event

Saffavi¡¯s remarks are seen as an escalation of Iran¡¯s ¡°psychological war¡± against Israel, through the loss of personal details, Iran¡¯s attempt to weaken the morality of the Israeli air force ¨C a pilot training cycle lasting 5-7 years, the loss of 16 pilots equivalent to a squadron¡¯s core force.

Israel has stepped up preparations for retaliation. On September 28, the Israeli army dispatched two "Dolphin" class submarines to the eastern Mediterranean. These submarines can launch "Poseidon" nuclear-powered cruise missiles with a range covering the entire territory of Iran. At the same time, the US "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier battle group entered the Persian Gulf, forming a maritime deterrent to Iran.

The international community is calling for more restraint, UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement, stressing that ¡°the Middle East is on the brink of a comprehensive war¡±, calling on all sides to return to the negotiating table, and a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China ¡°opposes any acute acts of tension and supports the resolution of differences through dialogue.¡±

Although Safawi's statement caused an uproar, the key details are still in doubt. Israel's Ha'aretz quoted military sources on September 29th as saying that there were indeed "non-combatant casualties" at the Negev base on the day of the attack, but the specific figure was "3 people were killed and 12 injured", all of whom were ground crew members, and no pilot was killed.

While the Iranian side did not disclose concrete evidence, military analysts pointed out that if 16 pilots were killed at the same time in a single attack, it would have to meet the extreme conditions that ¡°all pilots are concentrated in the same area at the time of the attack¡±, which is contrary to the Israeli military¡¯s ¡°decentralized deployment, rapid response¡± operational principle.

Furthermore, Russian officials declined to comment on allegations of ¡°technological support¡± by major powers, but a report from the U.S. Institute for War Studies (ISW) showed that in August 2025, a Russian cargo ship unloaded a container of ¡°suspicious missile-guided components¡± in Iran¡¯s port of Abbas, which could be shipped to Iran via the Iranian-Syrian-Lebanese smuggling route.

conclusion

Safawi¡¯s television remarks exposed the technological trends of the Middle East military confrontation ¨C a shift from traditional quantitative confrontation to a comprehensive competition of precision, defense capabilities and information support, regardless of whether the deaths of 16 pilots are real or not, and the progress of Iranian missile technology is irreversible.

The shadow of "technological support" of the great powers further highlights the far-reaching impact of geopolitical games on local conflicts, when military casualties numbers appear at the same time as the hint of interference of the great powers, the attack has gone beyond mere retaliation, becoming a teststone for the balance of regional forces.

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The source:

Iranian missile attacks caused power outages in Israeli cities ¡ª Beijing Daily client ¡ª
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1835712554292029464&wfr=spider&for=pc

"Iranian missiles hit Israel, 16 Israeli pilots were killed, with the support of major powers behind them"-Deep Blue Track-
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1844651127415384824&wfr=spider&for=pc