Israeli military intel chief: "We are starting war for survival"

Major General Shlomi Binder, head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN), has issued a stark assessment of the country's ongoing military campaign against Iran, calling it a "war for survival."

“We are starting a war, which is nothing less than a war for survival, against an enemy that seeks to destroy us, is rapidly advancing in the development of its nuclear capabilities and is developing conventional weapons in very, very large quantities. We want to prevent this and eliminate this threat,” Binder stated, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

The intelligence chief noted that AMAN had made extensive efforts to monitor and warn about Iran’s nuclear advances and emphasised that the directorate is now on high alert.

Binder’s statement came just hours after the Israeli Air Force carried out one of the largest coordinated military operations in recent Middle Eastern history. In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting more than 100 locations inside Iran. These included key facilities in Tehran, Natanz, Ahvaz, and East Azerbaijan Province.

According to Israeli officials, approximately 200 fighter jets were involved in the mission, deploying more than 330 precision-guided munitions against nuclear infrastructure, missile bases, and command centres.

The primary goal of the operation, Israeli sources said, was to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program and eliminate members of its military and scientific leadership. Among those reportedly killed in the strikes were senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), prominent nuclear scientists, and several close advisers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog have both described the attack as a preemptive action against what they consider an existential threat posed by Iran.

In the aftermath of the strikes, Iran accused both Israel and the United States of orchestrating the assault. The Islamic Republic has vowed a forceful and inevitable retaliation. Within hours, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory and shut down its airspace, escalating fears of a wider regional conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova