Minister of Defense Israel Katz held a situational assessment on Tuesday at the operations center together with senior defense officials, including Head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, Home Front Command chief, Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper, and other top officers.
The Defense Minister said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to continue targeting Iran’s leadership.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to continue pursuing the leadership of the terror and oppression regime in Iran, and to repeatedly cut off the head of the octopus and prevent it from regrowing," Katz said.
He added that US President Donald Trump had recently commented on turnover within Iran’s leadership and said Israel would update him on the latest developments.
“When morning breaks in Washington, we will update him that the high rate of turnover is continuing and even accelerating following the elimination of two of the most senior remaining figures," Katz stated.
Katz confirmed that Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij, were among those eliminated, "And have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell."
“The IDF continues to operate in Iran with great intensity, targeting regime assets, suppressing missile-launch capabilities, and destroying key strategic infrastructure across all domains, setting Iran back decades," he said.
Katz emphasized that “the annihilation program is being destroyed, and its leaders and capabilities are being neutralized."
He also commended IDF personnel and cooperation with US forces.
“Through you I would like to commend the Air Force pilots and ground crews, all intelligence branches and personnel, who are operating with bravery, determination, and exceptional skill, together with our American partners," Katz said.
He described the ongoing operation as “an unprecedented peak" that would be recorded in the history of modern warfare.
“Well done to the IDF - keep it up. Best of luck," he concluded.