PM: Israel will ‘hit all nuclear facilities,’ has destroyed half of Iran’s launchers

PM: Israel will ‘hit all nuclear facilities,’ has destroyed half of Iran’s launchers

Nava Freiberg

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday evening that Israel is “ahead of schedule” in its military campaign against Iran, exceeding prior expectations and poised for further success.

In a rare Hebrew-language interview with the Kan public broadcaster, Netanyahu said Israel has destroyed at least half of Iran’s missile launchers, eliminated key military leaders, is targeting paramilitary forces and will hit all of Iran’s nuclear sites — including the heavily fortified Fordo nuclear facility.

“We are ahead of the schedule we set, both in terms of timing and results,” the premier said, nearly a week after Israel launched what it says is a preemptive campaign to neutralize an existential nuclear threat from Iran.

“The work has been outstanding,” Netanyahu said, explaining that he decided on the plan when a series of IDF operations left Iran’s strongest proxy, Hezbollah, “on its knees” toward the end of last year, and it became clear that Iran “was racing toward a nuclear capability.”

“The elimination of [former Hezbollah head Hassan] Nasrallah,” along with Israel’s gains against the Hamas terror group, “broke the Iranian axis. What does [Iran] have left?… This operation has been in planning for many months,” the prime minister added.

Addressing concerns over Israel’s reportedly depleted stock of Arrow missile interceptors, Netanyahu said the US was resupplying them and emphasized that “We’re striking [Iran’s] launchers. It doesn’t matter so much how many rockets they have. What matters is how many launchers they have — and we’re already getting there. I think we’ve already passed the halfway mark of their launchers.”

A day earlier, the IDF had said around 40% of launchers were destroyed.

Netanyahu praised Israeli resilience under fire, comparing the home front to British society during the Blitz, the WWII German bombing campaign against Great Britain.

‘More to come’

Addressing whether Israel is concerned about any “non-conventional” Iranian missiles or weaponry, Netanyahu said the IDF is “systematically” targeting Iran’s full range of weapons systems, including any non-conventional arms.

Netanyahu still would not say whether assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini is on the table. He repeated his stance that regime change lies with the “Iranian people alone,” but added, “We’re also striking government targets, symbols of the regime. You’ve seen it — the broadcast station and others. And there’s more to come.”

“We are doing everything necessary — and there will still be much more,” the premier continued, saying Israel is also targeting the Basij paramilitary militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known for suppressing dissent in Iran.

“We’re also striking the Basij… this kind of internal police force of a million people. We’ve inflicted heavy damage, and we will continue to strike their targets,” Netanyahu said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israeli Air Force fighter jets “destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian regime’s internal security, the main arm of the Iranian dictator’s oppression,” but Iranian media said that ordinary Iranian police, not the Basij, were targeted in the attack.

Asked whether Israel can destroy the underground Fordo facility without assistance from the United States, Netanyahu said, “We will achieve all our objectives and hit all of their nuclear facilities. We have the capability to do that.”

Fordo is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs.

Earlier Thursday, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Israel expects the US will decide on whether or not to join the offensive against Iran within the next 24-48 hours, though a White House spokesperson later said Trump would decide “within two weeks.”