The IDF detailed a joint offensive with US CENTCOM against Iran, claiming over 4,000 targets were struck and ‘Ali Khamenei’ was eliminated. PM Netanyahu lauded the effort, while Iran’s IRGC reported retaliatory strikes on US and Israeli assets.
IDF, US Detail Massive Joint Offensive Against Iran
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday detailed the scale of its ongoing military campaign against Iran and its regional allies, claiming thousands of targets have been struck as part of a coordinated offensive alongside the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). In a video message on a post on X, the IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, said the joint operation, launched about a month ago with US forces, is aimed at significantly weakening the “Iranian terror regime” and its network of proxies. https://x.com/idfonline/status/2039176500268650955
“More than 4,000 targets were attacked, within them more than 10,000 terror components,” Defrin said, outlining the breadth of the campaign. The IDF said it had ” eliminated the master terrorist Ali Khamenei” and reported that an Israeli Adir fighter jet had shot down an Iranian aircraft over Iranian airspace. The statement also highlighted intensified operations against Hezbollah, including airstrikes and a ground entry into Lebanon.
Providing further operational details, the spokesperson said more than 800 strike sorties had been carried out, with approximately 16,000 munitions dropped across Iran. The IDF also claimed that over 2,000 soldiers and commanders linked to the Iranian regime were killed, while around 5,000 new targets were identified.
“In less than 24 hours, the Air Force paved its way to the heart of Tehran. In just 40 seconds, about 40 senior officials of the Iranian terror regime were eliminated,” the spokesperson said.
The IDF reiterated its objective of preventing Iran and allied groups from threatening Israel. “We will not allow the terror regime and its proxies to pose a threat to the citizens of Israel and the existence of the State of Israel,” the statement added.
CENTCOM Confirms Strikes on Underground Targets
Meanwhile, the United States Central Command said US forces conducted precision strikes on underground military targets inside Iran. In a post on X, CENTCOM said, “US forces drop precision munitions on underground military targets deep inside Iran to further degrade the Iranian regime’s ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders.” https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2039145115470430588
Netanyahu Vows Iranian Regime Will Collapse
Meanwhile, praising the “enormous accomplishments” achieved in the conflict with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the combined Israel-US effort was “systematically crushing” the Tehran government while eliminating existential hazards to the Jewish state.
Addressing the public in Hebrew on Tuesday evening before the Passover festival, Netanyahu emphasised that “sooner or later” the Iranian administration will collapse. He noted that Israel is simultaneously forging “new alliances with important countries in the region” to counter the collective threat posed by Iran. While the Prime Minister did not name specific nations, he remarked that he hoped “soon, I will be able to tell you more about these vital alliances.”
Iran Claims Retaliatory Strikes on US, Israeli Targets
Meanwhile, on Tuesday (local time), Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy carried out four operations against the US and Israeli targets in the early hours as a part of its 88th wave of Operation True Promise 4, Press TV reported.
Iran said the naval forces launched a “heavy” offensive against its enemy positions, as reported by Press TV. Israel’s container ship named Express Halfong was struck by ballistic missiles in the middle waters of the Persian Gulf, according to the statement.
In a second combined operation, a hideout of US Marines along the coast of the UAE was targeted by explosive drones.
Press TV further reported that Iran also destroyed a counter-drone system belonging to the US Fifth Fleet that had been deployed outside its base near Manama airport in Bahrain.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)