Israeli Army Chief Announces Launch of ‘New Phase’ in Campaign Against Iran
Tel Aviv: Israel’s Chief of Staff, General Eyal Zamir, has announced that the attack on Iran has now entered a new phase. Addressing the nation on television Thursday, he stated that the Israeli military would intensify strikes against the Iranian government’s infrastructure and military capabilities.
Zamir said, “We have neutralized Iran’s ballistic missile system with an initial surprise attack. Now we are entering the next phase of the campaign. We have further surprising moves that I do not intend to reveal now. We will pursue all our enemies and we will reach them.”
According to him, the Israeli Air Force has so far carried out 2,500 airstrikes in Iran, utilizing over 6,000 bombs and missiles. He claimed that these attacks have destroyed approximately 60 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile launch sites and 80 percent of its air defense systems. He also stated that Israel has achieved near-total air superiority over Iran.
Indicating that these attacks are being conducted in coordination with the US, Zamir mentioned close cooperation with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, and CENTCOM Commander, General Brad Cooper.
He clarified that Israel’s objective is to dismantle the military capability of the Iranian government, strategically weaken it significantly, and bring it to a state it has never experienced before.
Providing an update on the northern front, Zamir said Israel is also conducting powerful attacks in the Lebanese border areas and deep inside the country. He confirmed that forces have been ordered to seize strategic locations in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that senior Hezbollah commander Zaid Ali Jumaa was killed in an airstrike in Beirut. The military claimed that Jumaa, who was also the artillery chief in southern Lebanon, was responsible for planning thousands of rocket, missile, and drone attacks towards Israel.
It is noteworthy that in response to the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on Saturday, Iran had launched large-scale attacks on Israel and American military bases in the Middle East.
