IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Saturday evening that the war with Iran will continue through the Passover holiday.
In a public statement at the end of the third week of Operation Roaring Lion, Zamir said, “We are midway through, but the direction is clear.” Referring to the upcoming holiday, he added, “In about a week, during Passover, the Festival of Freedom, we will continue to fight for our freedom and our future.”
“The extensive damage we have inflicted on the Iranian regime over the past three weeks is beginning to accumulate into a systemic, strategic achievement — militarily, economically and in governance,” Zamir said. According to him, “the evil regime is weaker, Iran is more exposed and lacks significant defensive capability.”
Zamir said Iran also poses a direct threat to Europe. “Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers toward a U.S. target on the island of Diego Garcia. These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals — Berlin, Paris and Rome are all within direct threat range.”
“We have learned from world and Jewish history that denying a threat or appeasing it does not make it disappear — on the contrary,” Zamir said. He warned that “those who fail to confront a threat at its outset will in the future become hostage to it. The possession of lethal strategic capabilities by radical, dictatorial regimes is a danger not only to Israel, but to the world.”
Addressing the fighting along the Lebanon border, Zamir said, “Today I approved the Northern Command’s plans for continued operations. There is no more containment. There is initiative and offense. Our forces will stand as a buffer between the enemy and the communities, and any target that poses a threat to them will be removed.”
“Our actions in Iran are weakening Hezbollah,” he added, referring to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group. “Hezbollah operates in Iran’s service, is destroying Lebanon and has dragged it into war. The current campaign will advance our strategic objective of disarming Hezbollah.”
First published: 20:31, 03.21.26