Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that forces are continuing powerful strikes against Iran and Hezbollah, as the military announced it had carried out a wave of attacks on Iranian military infrastructure in Tehran and Isfahan.
Speaking during a visit to Palmachim Air Base alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Netanyahu said pilots were operating over Tehran and Lebanon and warned that Hezbollah would face further consequences for joining the fighting.
“We are continuing to strike Iran with great force. Our pilots are over the skies of Tehran and also over Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “Hezbollah made a very big mistake when it attacked us. We have already responded with force and will respond with even greater force.”
Netanyahu said the government would continue acting to defend the country, adding that Lebanon’s government and public should understand that Hezbollah was “dragging them into a war that is not theirs.”
During the visit, officials said an operational target became available, and Netanyahu was invited to authorize a strike. At the designated moment, soldiers conducted a countdown and gave the order to fire. Netanyahu pressed a red button authorizing the release of munitions, and the target was successfully struck, according to officials present.
The visit marked the fourth day of Operation Roaring Lion, the name given to the ongoing campaign. Netanyahu received an operational briefing and met with drone operators and technical crews, praising their work in both defensive and offensive missions.
Shortly before Netanyahu’s remarks, the military said the Air Force, acting on precise intelligence, struck targets belonging to what it described as the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure in Tehran and Isfahan in central Iran.
According to the military, the strikes targeted industrial sites used to manufacture weapons, particularly ballistic missiles that it said pose an existential threat to Israel.
Israeli strikes in Iran
Separately, Katz said he and Netanyahu had approved plans for forces to advance and seize additional strategic positions in Lebanon beyond the five points currently held, in order to prevent rocket fire and protect border communities in the Galilee region.
“Overnight, forces continued taking control of territory,” Katz said in a statement. “The military is continuing to operate with force against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terror organization is paying and will pay a heavy price for firing toward Israel. We promised security for the communities of the Galilee, and that is what we will deliver.”
In parallel strikes in Isfahan, dozens of targets tied to the ballistic missile array were hit, including launchers and missile storage facilities intended for use against Israel, the military said. The military added that it would continue operating against launch sites and production facilities linked to Iran’s missile program.
Iranian media reported that Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport was attacked, as well as an industrial area in the capital. The areas had appeared earlier in evacuation warnings issued in Persian by the military’s spokesperson. Iranian reports also said an aircraft on the ground was destroyed in the southern port city of Bushehr.