Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran have "severed the head of the Iranian octopus."
"We have severed the head of the Iranian octopus, and we are now acting to crush and cut off its tentacles," he said in a statement. "The combined Israeli-American attack on Iran, led by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is unprecedented in its scope, precision, and power."
He added that the attack "is intended to dismantle the regime’s capabilities, protect the Israeli home front and US military forces in the region, prevent Iran from returning to a path of nuclear weapons development and large-scale missile production, and create the conditions for the Iranian people to act and remove the murderous, oppressive regime of the ayatollahs."
"Coordination and cooperation between the political leadership and the security establishment have never been closer," he stressed. "Operation Roaring Lion will continue with full force for as long as necessary."
Earlier on Tuesday, Katz announced a ground incursion into Lebanon, saying, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities."
"The IDF continues to operate forcefully against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terrorist organization is paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price for firing at Israel."
"We promised security for the communities of the Galilee, and that is what we will deliver," he concluded.