Addressing the Israeli public in a televised speech on Sunday, Iranian Armed Forces Spokesperson Reza Sayyad urged Israelis to leave their country “in the coming days… because in the future, it will not be habitable for you.”
Sayyad claimed Iran had “successfully hit sensitive and important targets” repeatedly in the past few nights, since the escalation with Israel began early Friday.
Among the alleged targets were “military, security, and decision-making centers,” as well as the homes of Israeli military commanders and scientists. Sayyad said Iran was working from “a complete bank” of Israeli strategic and sensitive sites.
For his part, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces Eyal Zamir said in a recorded statement on X, “We knew there would be costs [to the military operations in Iran] and that is why we acted now, before it was too late.”
Zamir confirmed that the Israeli Air Force had carried out a long-range strike, hitting “hundreds of diverse targets” near the Iranian capital Tehran. He emphasized that the operation was part of a “systematic, precise, professional, and ongoing plan,” and noted that Israeli pilots had flown deep into Iranian airspace despite significant risk.
He also said Israeli forces were actively targeting missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory, as the country continues what he called a “multi-front war” involving Iran and its regional allies.
“This battle is ongoing,” Zamir concluded.
Tensions between the two regional rivals sharply escalated on Friday when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Since then, both sides have been locked in a series of retaliatory attacks, with no signs of immediate de-escalation.
