The IDF issued an official statement shortly after launching airstrikes on Iran, describing the campaign as a “preemptive strike” against an immediate and mounting danger.
According to top Israeli defense officials, Iran’s nuclear program had progressed to a stage that posed a direct existential risk. The regime in Tehran, which has long declared its intention to destroy Israel, was, in their eyes, on the verge of crossing an irreversible threshold. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed the nation, explaining that the situation had “reached the point of no return.”
David Horovitz, writing for the Times of Israel, explains the background of Israel’s attack.
The International Atomic Energy Agency had already flagged Iran’s rapidly accelerating uranium enrichment activity. In a recorded video message released as the operation was underway, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu stated that Iran possessed enough enriched uranium to manufacture nine nuclear warheads.
Netanyahu further emphasized that Iran is already equipped with missiles capable of reaching any location within Israel’s borders. Even more troubling, he said, is that Iran has taken “unprecedented steps toward weaponization” — the final stage of constructing a functional nuclear bomb.
Israeli defense officials suspect that the situation may be even worse than what is publicly acknowledged. Intelligence assessments suggest the actual amount of enriched uranium could exceed what the UN agency has reported, and that Iran has been engaging in advanced testing linked to weapon development.
The primary goal of the Israeli offensive is to deliver a serious blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions by targeting both vital infrastructure and critical personnel. The timing, security officials say, is crucial — before Iran completes the restoration of defense systems damaged in Israel’s limited strike last October, and while intelligence on Iran’s nuclear operations is especially accurate and actionable.
Although Netanyahu touched on the aspiration that the Iranian people might one day be freed from the regime’s grip, Israeli leadership made it clear that the current military action is not aimed at instigating regime change. The sole objective, they stressed, is to halt Iran’s progress toward acquiring nuclear weapons. There was no assertion that Israel could eliminate every component of the program.
The Israeli prime minister also raised alarm over Iran’s rapidly expanding arsenal of ballistic missiles. He noted that Tehran plans to produce tens of thousands of these weapons, which—independent of the nuclear threat—could overwhelm Israel’s defenses and pose a severe threat to national survival.
“We can’t leave these threats for the next generation,” Netanyahu said. “Because if we don’t act now, there will not be another generation.”
Zamir echoed that urgency. He described the operation as “an immediate operational necessity,” and called it “an imperative… to remove the strategic threat and ensure our future.”
Both Netanyahu and Zamir cautioned that difficult times may lie ahead. They warned of potential large-scale Iranian missile attacks that could far surpass the limited drone and rocket barrages seen during two earlier rounds of conflict last year.
Netanyahu also thanked President Donald Trump for his “steadfast stance,” despite the fact that Trump had publicly called on Israel just days earlier to delay the strike and allow diplomatic efforts more time to play out.
At this point, the exact level of coordination between Israel and the United States remains somewhat unclear. Israel did inform the Trump administration in advance, but there is no indication that the U.S. played an active role in the military operation. Analysts have noted that American military involvement would likely have resulted in an even more extensive and damaging attack.
Nevertheless, Israeli security officials remain confident that the U.S. will stand with Israel if the situation intensifies and further support becomes necessary.
{Matzav.com}
