Defense Minister Israel Katz told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that "the Iranians planned to act first and launch between 400 and 500 missiles in the opening salvo. If we hadn't acted first, it would have been much harder for us." He noted that "our biggest challenge was to open the skies and neutralize Iran's air defense systems. We controlled the skies and could have continued, but we had predetermined to achieve the main objectives in nuclear and missile capabilities, and conclude from a position of strength."