Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday that the intensity of strikes carried out by the IDF and the U.S. military against Iran’s leadership and the infrastructure supporting it would “rise significantly” this week.
“The campaign led by U.S. President [Donald] Trump and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu will continue,” Katz said after a security assessment with IDF high command. “The IDF is strong and the Israeli home front is strong, and we will not stop until all the goals of the war are achieved.”
Meanwhile, the IDF said an Israeli fighter jet came under fire from an Iranian surface-to-air missile during an air force operation over Iran.
The military said the crew responded according to procedure, the aircraft was not damaged and the mission was completed as planned. The statement added that since the start of the war, there have been several attempts to hit Israeli fighter jets over Iran, but that air crews had dealt successfully with the threat.
“The Israeli Air Force will continue to operate and strike wherever required across Iran and will carry out its missions despite being under threat during every operational sortie,” the spokesman said.
In Lebanon, Israeli troops killed at least four Hezbollah terrorists overnight in southern Lebanon, both in a ground encounter and in airstrikes, the military said.
Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF)
According to the military, troops from the Givati Brigade combat team, operating under the 91st Division during what it described as a targeted ground operation in southern Lebanon, identified several armed Hezbollah terrorists. Soldiers killed one terrorist in the exchange, then directed an aircraft to strike several others who opened fire at them. The troops later killed three additional terrorists with tank fire. The military said no Israeli forces were wounded.
The military also said that overnight, the Israeli Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, struck Hezbollah command centers in Beirut that were being used by the group’s terrorists.
“The IDF will continue to operate decisively against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which chose to join the war and operates with the backing of the Iranian regime. The IDF will not allow harm to Israeli civilians,” a statement read.