Israel must prepare for 'prolonged campaign' against Iran: IDF Chief of Staff

Tel Aviv [Israel], June 20 : Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Friday said Israelis must prepare for a "prolonged campaign" against Iran, in order to "eliminate a threat of this magnitude," The Times of Israel reported.

In a video statement, Zamir said that Iran has been "building for years a clear plan to destroy the State of Israel" and that in recent months, "the plan reached the point of no return, where the capabilities reached operational capability," as per The Times of Israel.

"We launched the campaign when Iran possessed around 2,500 ground-to-ground missiles, with a high production rate, such that within approximately two years, they were expected to possess around 8,000 missiles," he said.

Zamir said that Iran's ballistic missile efforts, proxies in the Middle East, and nuclear advancements, "compelled us to strike and deliver a preemptive blow".

"The IDF will not stand by and watch as threats develop. As part of an emerging doctrine, we will act proactively and in advance to prevent an existential threat and to face any challenge," he said.

Zamir says the IDF has "prepared for this operation for years," and it was launched "thanks to the convergence of operational and strategic conditions."

"Had we delayed, there was a risk of losing these conditions and entering the campaign in the future from a position of clear disadvantage. We understood that history would not forgive us if we failed to act now to defend the existence of the Jewish people in the State of Israel," he said.

Zamir says the IDF's opening "surprise" strikes on Iran "achieved extraordinary results."

"We eliminated the enemy's senior command, inflicted deep damage to components of the nuclear program, opened an aerial corridor to Tehran, identified and destroyed about half of the missile launchers, some just minutes before launch, and surprised the enemy despite its heightened state of alert," The Times of Israel quoted him as saying.

Zamir continues, "Dear citizens of Israel, alongside the offensive operations, the defense of the home front continues. This is a different challenge from what we have known until now. The enemy, in its weakness, deliberately targets civilians, as we have experienced once again in the recent barrage. Our enemies do not understand that the Israeli home front is the source of the IDF's strength, not its weakness."

"We are preparing for a range of possible developments. We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history. We launched this campaign in order to eliminate a threat of this magnitude, against such an enemy, which requires readiness for a prolonged campaign," he said.

"The IDF is prepared for this. With each passing day, our freedom of action is expanding, and the enemy's is shrinking," Zamir says.

"The campaign is not over. While we have achieved significant results, challenging days still lie ahead, and we must remain alert and united until the mission is complete," he said, as per The Times of Israel.

"I am confident that together, we will finish this campaign with Israel's hand on top," he added.

Meanwhile, Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, said that 23 people were wounded from an impact of missile strike in Haifa by Iran.

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