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Asharq Al-Awsat
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Clears Path for Potential Strike on Iran's Nuclear Sites
Israel's top military officials on Saturday issued a stark warning that the path to Tehran is now 'paved,' signaling the possibility of a broader confrontation with Iran that could include strikes on additional nuclear sites. The comments by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar came after a high-level security assessment meeting, following what Israeli media described as a dramatic and unprecedented aerial assault on Iranian territory late Friday and early Saturday. The Israeli military confirmed in a statement that the air force had launched a wave of airstrikes on dozens of targets in the Iranian capital, including infrastructure linked to surface-to-air missile systems. 'In accordance with our operational plans, our aircraft have begun targeting sites in Tehran,' the military said. Bar confirmed the strikes, saying they were aimed at degrading Iran's air defense capabilities in the Tehran area. 'Dozens of Israeli warplanes flew over Tehran for the first time since the start of the conflict, striking multiple defensive systems,' he said, adding that operations will continue across all fronts. 'These were precision strikes of operational and national significance, aimed at enhancing our air superiority and freedom of action deep inside Iran,' Bar said. 'We chose to act with professionalism, determination, and accuracy in confronting an existential threat to the safety of our citizens. This is the first time such a number of Israeli aircraft have operated over Tehran, more than 1,500 kilometers from our borders.' The military said the strikes delivered a direct blow to the Iranian regime's air defense infrastructure near Tehran. The reference to a 'paved road' to the Iranian capital echoed that assessment — interpreted by analysts as a message that Israel now views Tehran as within reach of sustained military operations. Israel's recent airstrikes on Iran were carefully designed to dismantle Tehran's air defenses and long-range strike capabilities, with analysts saying the country's nuclear facilities — considered the ultimate target — were not the immediate priority. Military affairs commentator Avi Ashkenazi wrote in Maariv that while Iran's nuclear sites remain Israel's top strategic objective, they were not the most urgent threat. Instead, the Israeli Air Force focused on two primary axes in its latest operation: neutralizing Iran's air defense systems and destroying its capabilities to launch ballistic missiles and armed drones. Ashkenazi said the air campaign was initially devised by Halevi and Bar, and later refined with current military chief Zamir. The targets were prioritized based on the immediacy of the threat, rather than long-term strategic importance. Israel's Channel 12 correspondent Nir Dvori reported that among the targets hit during the strikes was a hangar housing fighter jets, underscoring a wider plan to expand operations inside Iranian territory. Dvori added that within a day of launching the assault, the Israeli Air Force had successfully 'cleared the path' to Tehran, now operating freely in Iranian airspace without facing resistance. The earlier comments by Zamir and Bar about a 'paved road' to Tehran were widely interpreted as confirmation of this operational freedom. A separate Channel 12 report said Israeli forces completed the destruction of several air defense systems en route to Tehran, effectively 'clearing the way' and removing key threats. This, it said, would pave the way for future strikes of varying scope, targeting a wider range of objectives inside the Iranian capital based on years of military planning and capability development. Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli military had destroyed the majority of Iran's air defense batteries, while Israel's public broadcaster KAN said the unprecedented operation allowed Israeli warplanes to fly at various altitudes over Tehran with minimal interference. The broadcaster added that taking out Iranian air defenses was currently Israel's most urgent military priority.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Israel targets dozens of missile launchers in Iran
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said Saturday it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran, after Tehran fired multiple barrages in response to its strikes on military and nuclear facilities. The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement. It said that overnight the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran." "For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kilometres (well over 900 miles) from Israeli territory, the Israeli air force struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran." Iran struck Israel with multiple missile barrages overnight, after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities on Friday killed key generals and nuclear scientists. Israeli emergency services said two people were killed when a rocket hit a residential area early Saturday, as the two sides traded fire for a second day despite international calls for de-escalation. The commanding officer of the Israeli air force, MG Tomer Bar, said the overnight strikes in the Tehran area carried "operational and national significance." "We damaged – and will continue to damage – strategic sites and enemy sources of knowledge," he was quoted as saying in a military statement.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel army says striking Iran missile launchers
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said Saturday it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran, after Tehran fired multiple barrages in response to its strikes on military and nuclear facilities. The Israeli air force 'continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran', the military said in a statement. It said that overnight the air force 'struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran'. 'For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kilometres (well over 900 miles) from Israeli territory, the Israeli air force struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran.' Iran struck Israel with multiple missile barrages overnight, after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities on Friday killed key generals and nuclear scientists. Israeli emergency services said two people were killed when a rocket hit a residential area early Saturday, as the two sides traded fire for a second day despite international calls for de-escalation. The commanding officer of the Israeli air force, MG Tomer Bar, said the overnight strikes in the Tehran area carried 'operational and national significance'. 'We damaged -- and will continue to damage -- strategic sites and enemy sources of knowledge,' he was quoted as saying in a military statement. 'Activities like these require complicated coordination and collaboration between different sources and capabilities in the force.'
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Israel strikes dozens of missile launchers in Iran
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said Saturday it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran, after Tehran fired multiple barrages in response to its strikes on military and nuclear facilities. The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement. It said that overnight the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran." "For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kilometres (well over 900 miles) from Israeli territory, the Israeli air force struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran." Iran struck Israel with multiple missile barrages overnight, after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities on Friday killed key generals and nuclear scientists. Israeli emergency services said two people were killed when a rocket hit a residential area early Saturday, as the two sides traded fire for a second day despite international calls for de-escalation. The commanding officer of the Israeli air force, MG Tomer Bar, said the overnight strikes in the Tehran area carried "operational and national significance." "We damaged – and will continue to damage – strategic sites and enemy sources of knowledge," he was quoted as saying in a military statement.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
1,000 Israeli Soldiers Protest to End War in Gaza
An Israeli military official said on Thursday that some 1,000 reserve and retired pilots who signed a petition calling for securing the return of captives from Gaza at the cost of ending the war, would be dismissed from the air force. 'With the full backing of the chief of the General Staff, the commander of the Israeli Airforce has decided that any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving in the Israeli military,' the official told AFP. Nearly 1,000 Israeli retired and reservist fighter pilots called in an open letter on Thursday for the government to prioritize freeing the remaining hostages held in Gaza, even if that meant halting the war against Hamas. According to the Israeli Yediot Ahronoth newspaper, the pilots' letter read, 'At this time, the war serves primarily political and personal interests, not security ones.' It added, 'Continuation of the war doesn't advance any of the declared goals of the war, and will bring about the deaths of the hostages, of Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians, while further eroding the strength of the reserve forces.' The newspaper said prior to that, several fighters met with Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar and Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to prevent the letter's publication. Bar, backed by Zamir, then decided that active reserve service members who signed the letter cannot continue to serve, although they claim that this is a protest against the government and not against the army. Responding to the letter, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz slammed the reservists who signed it, saying: 'I strongly reject the letter by the Air Force reservists and the attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the just war that the Israeli army is leading in Gaza for the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.' He added, 'I trust the judgment of the chief of staff and the Air Force commander and am convinced that they will handle this unacceptable phenomenon in the most appropriate way.' Last March, two Israeli soldiers, including an army intelligence officer and a pilot, were dismissed after they refused to serve in protest of the renewal of fighting in Gaza. According to Israeli reports, those incidents were seen by the Israeli army as isolated cases, but a number of senior officials were reportedly concerned that refusal to serve could become a larger phenomenon among reservists. The two soldiers, Air force combat navigator Alon Gur and military intelligence officer, Mikhael Mayer, said in social media posts that their decision to refuse to participate in the ongoing military operations in Gaza is in protest to the Israeli government's policies. Their statements had sparked debate and highlighted internal tensions within the Israeli armed forces. The history of Israeli warfare suggests that large-scale insurgencies at the army began with individual cases. During the first Lebanon war in 1982, Eli Geva, an Israeli brigade commander had refused to lead his forces into Beirut for moral reasons which he termed 'endangerment of both soldiers and civilians in urban warfare.' Geva was therefore dismissed from the Army. He then founded the movement 'There is a Limit' that raised the slogan of refusing to serve in occupied territories.
