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Iran war will continue ‘as long as necessary,’ IDF spokesman says

“It will take as long as it takes; it will continue until we achieve all our objectives,” a military spokesman said.

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin gives a press briefing on June 17, 2025. Credit: IDF.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin gives a press briefing on June 17, 2025. Credit: IDF.

The Israel Defense Forces military campaign, “Operation Roaring Lion,” against the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue “until we achieve all our objectives,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters on Saturday night.

“We went to war—to this operation—to remove a real, existential threat to the State of Israel,” he stated at the press briefing, adding: “It will take as long as it takes; it will continue until we achieve all our objectives.”

Asked by local media how long the Israeli home front can sustain continuous ballistic missile assault from Iran, the spokesperson again reiterated that “there is no alternative—we must remove this threat.”

“Therefore, it will continue as long as necessary,” Defrin emphasized.

“I will add that the defense of the citizens of the State of Israel is built on three components,” he continued. “First, our aerial defense systems, which are the best in the world—Iron Dome, Arrow and others.”

The second, “no less important component,” is the joint Israeli-U.S. effort to destroy Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers, he said.

“The third component is responsible conduct of our citizens,” Defrin concluded. “Compliance with the Home Front Command guidelines will save lives, and together we will overcome all these challenges.”

Defrin said the IDF was prepared for the possibility of additional missile and drone attacks from Tehran’s proxies across the Middle East region.

“We are accustomed to operating in a multi-front war,” he emphasized. “We are watching carefully and monitoring closely. If we are attacked, we will respond forcefully. “

The IDF launched preemptive airstrikes against the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning to neutralize the threat Tehran poses to the Jewish state, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Iran subsequently fired many dozens of ballistic missiles at the Jewish state, killing one and wounding several, with sirens continuing to blare across the country on Sunday morning.

In a statement posted to Truth Social announcing the start of “major combat operations” against the Islamic regime, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his objective was “to defend the American people” by neutralizing the “imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”

Its “menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world.”

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