On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted the urgency of launching “Operation Epic Fury.” He emphasized that without immediate action, Iran’s nuclear and missile programs would soon be relocated to underground bunkers, posing an irreparable threat to the security of the United States, Israel, and the global community.
Netanyahu, in an interview with Fox News, stated, “The reason we must act now is that after we targeted their nuclear facilities and ballistic missile programs, we expected them to learn a lesson. But they did not.” He added, “Their obsession with destroying America has driven them to construct new bases, facilities, and underground bunkers, where within months, they could protect their ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs from destruction.”
He warned, “If action is not taken at this moment, we will forever lose the opportunity to act. They will then be able to target the United States, blackmail America, threaten us, and intimidate everyone.”
Netanyahu also praised President Trump’s decisiveness, underscoring the need for a resolute leader to carry out this necessary action.
Simultaneously, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson labeled the strike as a “defensive preemptive action” in his address to Congress.
Johnson pointed out that Israel is facing an existential threat due to a significant increase in Iran’s missile production and is determined to retaliate regardless of U.S. support.
He emphasized that if the U.S. military stands idly by while Iran deploys all its missile arsenals, American personnel and assets will suffer “staggering casualties.”
Johnson specifically stated, “The goal of the operation is not regime change. Our objective is to destroy their intermediate and short-range missiles and their production capabilities. We are achieving that.”
On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz revealed that Iran was on the brink of possessing nuclear weapons before the U.S. launched airstrikes. He disclosed that Iran had concealed highly enriched uranium and could potentially convert it into a nuclear weapon within “several weeks, up to a month.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the possibility of further escalation in military actions. He informed the media before briefing members of Congress on the progress of the conflict that while the current operations have shown significant results, the battle is far from over.
Rubio bluntly stated, “The most severe blows from the U.S. military are yet to come, and the next phase of strikes against Iran will be even more relentless than it is now.”
On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel joined forces in a sudden attack on Iran, with the U.S. deploying B-2 stealth bombers carrying 2,000-pound bombs on the mission. The U.S. stated that it successfully targeted over a thousand military objectives, resulting in the deaths of several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Currently, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing a new wave of airstrikes on Tehran and have confirmed the demolition of a communication and propaganda center accused of being disguised by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) within a civilian facility.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has issued a broad travel alert for over a dozen countries in the Middle East, urging American citizens in the region to immediately depart via commercial transportation.