**IDF Spokesman: IAF Strikes Iranian Military Targets in Effort to Eliminate Existential Threat**
In a press briefing held this evening, IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin addressed Israeli military operations targeting Iran's military infrastructure.
According to Defrin, IDF has intensified its aerial campaign against Iran, with the Israeli Air Force conducting a series of strikes on critical military targets.
"Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft continue to strike a series of military targets and assets across Iran," said Defrin. "The aim of the operation is to eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel, significantly damage Iran's nuclear program in all its components, and severely impact its missile array."
Over the past 24 hours, the IDF launched three major waves of strikes. "The first wave took place overnight: more than fifty IAF fighter jets struck around forty targets in the Tehran area," he noted. Among the sites hit was "a centrifuge production site, a key component in the Iranian regime’s efforts to enrich uranium," and a facility near Tehran used for the production of anti-tank missiles, which Defrin said had been transferred over the years to Hezbollah and other regional proxies.
"Tonight, IAF jets reached the very source of the missile production—missiles that have been used against the State of Israel—and neutralized it," he said.
The second wave, launched this afternoon, targeted "more than twenty additional targets in the Tehran area," including "engines, navigation systems, and missile assembly," all of which Defrin stated were "intended for use by the regime against Israel."
The third wave began shortly before the briefing and focused on western Iran. According to Defrin, IAF aircraft are "flying over launch and storage sites for surface-to-surface missiles" and are targeting "operatives attempting to re-access and remove munitions from sites that were previously struck."
"Our message to them is clear: if you attempt to rebuild your terror capabilities in the region, you will be struck," Defrin declared. "We are systematically targeting Iran's missile infrastructure. The IAF is flying over Iran and hunting down launchers."
He emphasized that the strikes are designed to enable "sustained operational freedom until the war’s objectives are fully achieved. Let me remind you: we launched this operation to remove an existential threat. We will act as long as necessary to accomplish the mission, as defined by the political level."
Despite these achievements, Defrin cautioned, "the Iranian regime still retains significant capabilities. Even if the number of launches has decreased, we must not become complacent under any circumstances. We must remain alert and vigilant."
"An updated civil defense policy was published today as part of this effort," he said. "Among other measures, the policy allows a return to workplaces and expands the permitted size of gatherings in locations equipped with a protected space."
"Please review the updated guidelines in full—these guidelines save lives," he urged. "We will continue to update them as the situation evolves. This evening, I want to once again commend your resilience and composure."
Defrin concluded: "As we mark the sixth day of the operation in Iran, we constantly remember that it is also the 621st day of a prolonged war that was forced upon us."
"After significantly weakening the regime’s proxies over the past 20 months, we are now dismantling its own core capabilities."