"We have completed the the opening strike, in which we established air superiority and suppressed the ballistic missile array. We are now moving to the next stage of the campaign, in which we will intensify strikes on the regime's foundations and its military capabilities. We have additional surprise moves at our disposal that I do not intend to reveal," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Thursday in his first statement since the start of the war against Iran.
Addressing the IDF' achievements in Iranian airspace, Zamir said: "Within 24 hours, our pilots paved the way to Tehran. We destroyed about 80% of Iran's air defense systems and achieved near-total air superiority over Iranian skies. We neutralized and destroyed more than 60% of the ballistic missile launchers."
Regarding the damage inflicted on the Iranian regime, he said: "Through synchronized operations, we are stripping the regime of its military capabilities and pushing it into strategic isolation and a point of weakness it has never experienced before. This is historic cooperation. The two strongest militaries in the world are controlling the skies over the world's largest terrorist state."
Explaining the timing of the operation, Zamir said that "had we waited longer, Iran would have entered a zone of immunity and the danger would have grown."
Referring to the fighting that has also erupted along Israel's northern border in recent days, he said: "Hezbollah made a strategic mistake and, contrary to the interests of Lebanon's citizens, chose to join the campaign. It is paying a heavy price for that decision. Last night we eliminated the head of Hezbollah's firepower array, known as Fidaa. Fidaa was responsible for the deaths of many Israelis and personally commanded the anti-tank missile fire in the 'Winter Sun' incident in January 2015 in the Mount Dov sector. In that attack, soldiers from the Givati Brigade were killed."
He concluded: "There will be no more equations. We will continue to act to defend the security of residents of the north. We will act relentlessly to remove the threat and will not let go of the goal of disarming the Hezbollah terrorist organization."
