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Israel has signaled that it will continue with its bombing against Iran, while the possibility remains open that the military campaign will end when it is demonstrated that US strikes have destroyed the nuclear skills of the Islamic Republic.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) still evaluated the effects of the US strikes on the nuclear institutions of Iran and “confirmed” the offensive of his country in the coming days.
The military spokesman Effie Defrin also said that the IDF still operated according to its original “plan and the goals” and, if necessary, “prepared for the expansion of this campaign”. Israel, which launched his war against Iran last week, continued to do dozens of military goals in the Islamic Republic.
Some Israeli civil servants privately troubled the offensive after the US strikes to end the Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.
One person familiar with the situation said what Israel did next would depend on how Iran reacted to the US attack, but the preference was to move towards diplomacy.
“Israel will react after the developments,” said the person, adding that Israel, if the fights were now ended, had achieved most of his military goals.
At the beginning of the Israeli attack on Iran 10 days ago, officials said the main goal was to “remove” the threat from Tehran’s rocket and nuclear programs. Israel also killed two dozen of the best military commander and nuclear scientist of Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the war could ultimately lead to a change in the regime in Iran, with an uprising suppressed the Islamic Republic or even the attack of its highest leader.
But shortly after the US strikes on Saturday evening, the Israeli premier made an explanation in which the military campaign “Rising Lion” was praised in the past form: “Together we have achieved unprecedented success in Israeli history.”
“They remember that from the beginning of the operation I promised that the nuclear institutions of Iran would be destroyed in one way or another. This promise was kept,” added Netanyahu.
Israel’s continuation of the air strikes could indicate that it wants to maintain military pressure on the Islamic Republic, also through striking military goals and ballistic rocket locations, since Tehran refers to the attack on nuclear stations.
According to an Israeli military officer, the IDF evaluated on Saturday that “over 50 percent” of the Iranian ballistic rocket launchers were “neutralized”. Other estimates showed even greater damage to the rockets themselves and their indigenous production capacities. Iran has not commented on the effects of the strikes.
The Israeli officials had also said that the campaign would not end all Iran nuclear sites, especially the Fordo enrichment system, which was buried deep under a mountain.
It was believed that Fordow is impermeable to Israeli strike capacities and demanded that the United States use 30,000 pound bunker buster bombs, which are known as massive folding peneters and are delivered by B-2 Stealth Strategic Bombers.
According to Trumps, all three locations were “completely wiped”, but no evidence of the damage has been published.
While the Israeli jets continued to beat Iran, Iran fired two barriers of over 20 ballistic rockets on Sunday morning in Israel. Strikes in the central cities Tel Aviv and Ness Ziona and in the northern city of Haifa, according to the local health officers, violate 20 people.
