Israel’s top military commander signaled Thursday that the war against Iran is entering a new and potentially more aggressive phase, warning that Israel has “additional surprise moves” prepared as its campaign deepens.

In his first public statement since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the opening stage of the operation has already reshaped the battlefield, and that the next phase would intensify strikes against the Iranian regime itself.

“After completing the phase of the surprise opening blow, in which we established air superiority and suppressed the ballistic missile array, we are moving to the next stage of the campaign,” Zamir said in a televised address. “We will intensify the strike against the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprise moves, which I do not intend to reveal.”

“We will pursue our enemies, all of them, and reach them,” he added.

Zamir said the operation had been prepared in deep secrecy by thousands of Israeli soldiers across multiple branches of the military and carried out in coordination with the United States.

“For six days now, we have been striking the Iranian terror regime without pause,” he said. “The operation is proceeding at the pace we set in advance.”

Zamir noted that the opening strike of the military campaign lasted just 40 seconds but proved devastating.

“Dozens of munitions were dropped on three targets. In that short time, about 40 senior figures of the Iranian terror regime were eliminated, headed by the regime’s leader, Ali Khamenei,” Zamir said.

He described Khamenei as having devoted his life to Israel’s destruction and claimed the Iranian leader had overseen a detailed plan to carry it out.

Since the opening strike, Zamir said Israeli forces have dramatically degraded Iran’s military capabilities.

Pilots from the Israeli Air Force have conducted roughly 2,500 strikes and dropped more than 6,000 munitions, according to the military.

Within a single day, Zamir said, Israeli aircraft were able to operate over Tehran after destroying about 80 percent of Iran’s air-defense systems.

The result, he said, was near-total air superiority over Iranian territory.

With that advantage, Israeli forces have focused on dismantling the ballistic missile systems that pose the greatest threat to Israeli cities.

“We have neutralized and destroyed more than 60 percent of the ballistic missile launchers,” Zamir said. “This is a very significant achievement that reduces the damage to the home front and saves many lives.”

But he cautioned that the threat has not been eliminated.

“Every missile is lethal and poses a danger,” he said.

Zamir also confirmed that the war has expanded on Israel’s northern front after the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah entered the conflict.

“Hezbollah made a strategic mistake and, contrary to the interests of the citizens of Lebanon, chose to join the campaign,” Zamir said. “It is paying a heavy price.”

Israeli forces, he said, are striking Hezbollah positions both along the border and deep inside Lebanon while expanding military positions along the frontier.

“I ordered IDF forces to move forward and deepen the line of control along the border while positioning themselves at key points in southern Lebanon,” he said.

Zamir also revealed that Israeli forces had killed a senior Hezbollah commander earlier Thursday.

The commander, known by the nickname “Fidaa,” headed the group’s fire array and was responsible for directing anti-tank missile attacks that killed Israeli soldiers Yochai Kalangel and Dor Haim Nini, according to the military.

Closing his remarks, Zamir delivered a blunt warning that Israel intends to keep escalating until the threats from both Iran and Hezbollah are dismantled.

“There will be no more equations,” he said. “We will continue to act to protect the security of the residents of the north.”

“We will operate relentlessly to remove the threat, and we will not relent from the goal of disarming Hezbollah.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)