Israeli Defense Minister: The war with Iran is entering a decisive phase

The Israeli-American war with Iran is gaining momentum and is entering a decisive phase that will last as long as necessary, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

“Only the Iranian people can put an end to this through a determined fight until the fall of the terrorist regime and the salvation of Iran,” Katz added.

The minister also “congratulated” US President Donald Trump on “the heavy blow that the American military dealt on Friday to the Iranian island of Khark.” “This is an appropriate response to the minefields in the Strait of Hormuz and blackmail attempts by the Iranian terrorist regime,” the minister said.

“The Israeli Air Force also continues its wave of powerful attacks on Tehran and all of Iran,” Kac stressed.

Since February 28, Israel and the United States have been conducting airstrikes on Iran, which in response has been shelling Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, hitting both American military bases and civilian infrastructure.

Immediately after the attacks began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Iranians, saying that they were not enemies of Israel. – We have a common enemy – he argued, pointing to the rule of the ayatollahs. He said that Iranians now have the opportunity to “establish a new and free Iran” and that the operation will “create conditions” for the Iranian people to “take their fate into their own hands.”

He also called on Iranian security forces to lay down their weapons.

Iran: we will attack with ballistic missiles with greater power than before

The Iranian government announced on Saturday that it will use ballistic missiles with greater destructive power and greater precision than before as part of retaliatory actions against Israel and the United States. The UAE authorities were warned about possible attacks on US-related facilities located in the country.

Iran's Ministry of Defense, whose statement was quoted by Reuters, also said that in further retaliatory actions, the Iranian army will use “improved weapons” to a greater extent than before.

In a statement published by the Tasnim agency associated with the ministries of power, it was emphasized that after the attacks of US troops on the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Tehran also has a justified right to attack American “safe houses” in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Seaports and docks, as well as US military bases, were mentioned in this context.

The country's residents were also urged to leave sensitive places, such as ports, docks and American military bases, “to avoid injuries.” The Iranian government also announced that it had forwarded this message to the authorities in Abu Dhabi.

Citing Iranian media, the Al-Jazeera television website also quotes the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, who stated that the Iranian navy carried out “several consecutive waves” of attacks on US forces in military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Tehran also assured that crude oil exports from Kharg Island, where the main raw material loading terminal is located, are “fully implemented” and oil companies operate “without disruption.” Earlier, the United States announced the bombing of military installations in Charg and warned that key oil facilities in the region could be the target of further attacks.

Exactly two weeks ago, on February 28, Israel and the US started war against Iran. As a result of the actions of the armies of both countries, according to data from the Ministry of Health in Tehran, over 1.2 thousand people died at that time. people, and over 10 thousand were injured. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that approximately 3.2 million people have left their homes.

Over 770 people died in Lebanon at that time as a result of parallel Israeli attacks on the positions of the terrorist group Hezbollah, allied with Iran. As a result of Iranian retaliatory attacks, at least 12 people died in Israel, at least 16 people died in the Persian Gulf countries, and American losses amounted to 13 people, including seven soldiers. (PAP)

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