In a press briefing delivered Sunday, IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin outlined a series of significant military operations conducted over the past 24 hours, marking a substantial escalation in Israel's campaign against the Iranian regime.
"We’ve just concluded a significant 24 hours in the battle against the Iranian regime," Defrin said. "Throughout the day, we continued to deepen the degradation of its capabilities, carrying out a wide-scale strike on missile production sites belonging to the IRGC deep inside Iran."
According to the IDF, Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck surface-to-surface missile warehouses in the Yazd region, approximately 2,200 kilometers from Israeli territory, marking the first strike in this area. This operation follows a prior attack on a missile engine manufacturing site in Shahroud, also deep inside Iranian territory.
"These strikes are part of our broader effort to degrade the Iranian weapons program and the regime’s missile production industry," Defrin explained.
The Shahroud facility, reportedly operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was used to produce engines for surface-to-surface missiles that pose a threat to Israel. IAF jets also targeted planetary mixers, key machinery in the missile engine production process, dealing a blow to the Iranian missile development chain.
"Just as we are acting against the nuclear threat, we are also acting against the missile threat," Defrin stated. "We are targeting production components that form the infrastructure surrounding the threat itself."
Defrin confirmed that all known Iranian missile launch bases targeting Israeli territory have been struck, while cautioning that Iran retains additional capabilities. He emphasized that Israel's Aerial Defense Array and adherence to Home Front Command directives have significantly mitigated damage from Iranian missile attacks.
The IDF noted that the Iranian nuclear program has sustained substantial damage, a result of coordinated Israeli and US strikes. Intelligence gathering efforts are ongoing to assess the full impact.
On the southern front, Defrin reported that four IDF divisions are continuing operations in the Gaza Strip. Troops are engaged in dismantling terrorist infrastructure and eliminating threats in accordance with the military's operational plan. "The Southern Command continues to lead the combat plans in Gaza with determination and professionalism," he added.
In a somber announcement, the IDF confirmed that the bodies of hostages Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar, and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson have been recovered and returned to Israel. Their families have been notified.
"The mission of returning the hostages remains a moral imperative that guides us," said Defrin. "We will not relent and we will not stop working to achieve their return."
The IDF pledged to provide continued updates as the operation progresses.