Jerusalem, Jun 18 (PTI) Israeli ministers on Wednesday asserted that there will be “no negotiations” with Iran as they vowed to carry on with Operation Rising Lion till it achieves its objectives.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in a tweet on social media platform X also hinted at the possibility of a regime change in the Islamic nation.
“A tornado passes over Tehran. Symbols of government are being bombed and destroyed — from the Broadcasting Authority and soon other targets — and crowds of residents are fleeing. This is how dictatorships collapse,” Katz wrote, hinting towards a possible regime change in Tehran.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar briefed foreign ambassadors at the site of the Iranian ballistic missile attack in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, on Sunday, in which at least nine persons were killed and dozens others injured.
“There are no negotiations. The operation will continue until we achieve our objectives,” he told the foreign diplomats.
“The Iranian regime deliberately targets population centres and murders civilians. They are making a mistake. They do not understand that the Israeli people are strong and massively support ‘Operation Rising Lion’!,” Sa’ar stressed.
Ambassadors from more than 30 countries, including India, attended the briefing at the site. Bat Yam’s Mayor Tzvika Brot was also present.
Briefing the press earlier at the site, the Israeli foreign minister emphasised that Israel will achieve its objectives in the ongoing operation.
“I have no doubt that we will achieve our objectives in this operation to remove the existential threat. We are determined to continue until we reach our objectives. There are no negotiations. The operation will continue until we achieve our objectives,” he vowed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is pursuing two goals — to foil Iran’s nuclear ambitions and to neutralise its missile production and attack capabilities.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Brig Gen Effie Defrin, at a press conference, said the Israeli Air Force has hit over 1,100 Iranian assets in hundreds of strikes in Iran since Friday, when it launched Operation Rising Lion.
“We are operating systematically to neutralise the nuclear threat,” Defrin said, adding that the strikes are “deepening the significant damage” caused to Iran’s ballistic missiles and air defences.
The IDF also released footage showing strikes on Iranian missile launchers and other facilities across Iran.
Iran launched some 30 ballistic missiles at Israel in two barrages overnight, the IDF spokesperson confirmed, claiming that most of the projectiles were intercepted and there were no injuries.
Iran has fired close to 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attack since Friday.
Israeli sources confirmed approximately 35 impact sites that have left 24 people dead and more than 647 injured, ten of them in serious condition.
Some 2,725 people have been evacuated from their homes, and 18,766 damage claims have been reported so far in Israel. The claims include 15,861 related to structural damage, 1,272 related to vehicles, and 1,633 related to contents and other property.
Meanwhile, due to the ongoing conflict, wartime restrictions on the reporting of the events have been imposed.
The restrictions included news related to operations, targets for attack, specific operations for protection and security, damage to strategic facilities and military bases, and damage to operational capabilities and/or the capability to provide essential services.
