The Israel Defense Forces is preparing for several days of renewed fighting with the Islamic Republic of Iran, “or even for a longer period,” a military official told reporters on Monday.
The official said that from the IDF’s perspective, the latest flareup was a continuation of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury,” the joint U.S.-Israeli military action that started on Feb. 28 and is currently in its 42nd day.
Overnight, 22 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran, in addition to two projectiles fired by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, the official stated.
The official said IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had spoken three times with the head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, since Sunday, and that joint situational assessments were held overnight.
According to the IDF, there is “full” coordination with CENTCOM regarding missile defense. However, the retaliatory airstrikes carried out in Iran were conducted solely by the Israeli Air Force, the official emphasized.
One scenario being considered in Jerusalem is that Iran could continue attacks while its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, remains on the sidelines. However, the official said, the IDF is also preparing for the possibility that Hezbollah terrorists could step up their attacks on the Jewish state at Tehran’s behest.
“We are working to prevent the different fronts from becoming linked, but we are prepared for any scenario,” the official declared.
Air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel overnight Sunday and into Monday morning as Iran fired missiles targeting the country, including the Jerusalem area.
The IDF said most of the projectiles were intercepted, and no injuries were reported.
