Defence Minister Israel Katz pledged that strikes against Iran will continue “as long as necessary” as IDF officials revealed half of the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile launchers have already been destroyed.
Around 1,200 bombs were dropped by Israel in the opening 24 hours of its joint operation with the US beginning on Saturday morning.
The waves of attacks continued on Sunday.
Plumes of smoke rose above Tehran in the morning as Israeli jets struck after achieving air superiority with the targeting of defence systems and missile sites yesterday.
Hundreds of Iranian missiles were destroyed, the production of an additional 1,500 ballistic missiles was prevented and half of its ballistic missile launchers have been taken out, according to Israeli officials.
Israel had identified a growing ambition on the part of Iran to accelerate its missile production over the next year.
The Islamic Republic’s central explosives production site, which produced material for missile warheads, rockets and drones, was dismantled and four facilities used for producing missile engines were hit.
The IDF has also struck factories that manufactured anti-tank systems used for Hezbollah and other terror groups and other targets involved in the production of weapons.
Officials believe that strikes on other facilities will set back weapons research and development by years.
In a post on X, the IDF said: “The possession of missiles by a regime that has declared its intent to destroy Israel constitutes an existential threat.”
The IDF said it has removed seven members of Iran’s security leadership as well as 40 senior commanders including the chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi.
The launch of the strikes coincided with Shabbat Zachor, the special Shabbat preceding Purim which recalls the commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek, the biblical arch-enemy of the Israelites.
In response to the allied air campaign, Iran fired missiles at surrounding Gulf countries, hitting civilian buildings including hotels and shopping centres.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said two Iranian missiles had been fired towards Cyprus, where the UK has air bases. A Cypriot official was reported by the BBC to have denied that the missiles were headed towards the island.
Israel has intercepted most of the Iranian missiles launched towards it but two women in Tel Aviv have died and there were nine fatalities after a strike on Beit Shemesh this morning.
According to Iran’s Red Crescent the country has suffered 201 fatalities.
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