Israel will not stop fighting Iran until it has destroyed the Iranian regime’s ballistic missiles and its nuclear facilities, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk said Tuesday.
Basiuk spoke as speculation mounted about a possible ceasefire between Israel and Iran, as President Donald Trump left the G7 meeting in Canada early, and as Iran reportedly asked mediators to find an end to the war.
The general’s response suggests that Israel will not leave its security up for negotiation any longer. Missile barrages have disrupted life in Israel, and highlighted the potential dangers of nuclear-armed warheads.
As Israel destroys Iran’s missile launchers — it has already destroyed an estimated 200 of 360 — pressure on the home front will ease, and Israel will continue to enjoy complete freedom of operation in Iranian airspace.
The Times of Israel reported:
The IDF says it is in the midst of the operation, not at its end. The goal by the end is to remove the “existential threat” of the Iranian nuclear program and its missile array, [Basiuk] says.
“We are striking the terror regime, not the people, who deserve a better future. Those who endanger us are the leadership in Tehran, not the people walking the streets of Shiraz,” Basiuk says.
The military says it will continue to strike nuclear facilities and related targets, including nuclear scientists, as well as ballistic missiles, air defenses, military command centers, and other targets that are considered “critical” to the Iranian regime.
For his part, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not seeking a mere ceasefire, but rather a “real end” to the Iranian nuclear program, adding that Iran knew how to get in touch with him.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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