Operation Roaring Lion: Q&A Edition
Behind the scenes of the questions we're getting asked by reporters every day.
Subject: Q&A: Why we are acting now, and the realities on our borders
Hi everyone, Nadav here.
Given the unprecedented events of the past 105 hours (feels like a lifetime), I’ve been fielding questions from journalists trying to make sense of the headlines, straight from the source.
A country that lies to its people and blocks the internet will obviously lie to the media too, so I want to cut through the noise and give you direct, unfiltered answers about the IDF’s operations, the realities we are facing, and our war on the Iranian regime.
Here are the most common questions I’ve been getting, answered straightforwardly...right after a quick situational update.
Have more? Drop comments below!
But first, a quick update on what’s happened today:
So far, the IDF has fired over 5,000 munitions during Rising Lion. Today we expanded our operations against defense and detection systems at Tehran’s “Mehrabad” Airport. The IDF also targeted a facility used by the regime storing, producing and launching advanced Ghadr missiles in Western Iran’s Isfahan.
Earlier today, the Israeli Air Force also completed an additional wave of strikes on Iranian command centers throughout Tehran, including Basij and internal security command centers. the IDF also targeted a massive Iranian compound that contains command centers from nearly every Iranian security organization, including the IRGC, the Intelligence Directorate, the ‘Basij’, the ‘Quds Force’, the Internal Security forces and others. Here’s what the complex looks like.
We’re continuing to approach uncontested control of Iranian air space. In one noteworthy example, an IDF F-35i downed an Iranian fighter jet - a YAK-13. This is the first downing of a manned fighter jet by the F35 anywhere in the world.
While we have neutralized over half of Iran’s launchers, they continue to deliberately fire at residential areas. Iran fired a number of salvos at Israel today. In two of these cases, this was joined by coordinated salvos from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Active missile defense is being used to intercept missiles and UAVs when possible, with both aerial defense systems, fighter jets, and even the navy.
Lebanon remains an active arena ever since Hezbollah (a self-titled “protector of Lebanon”) chose to fire at Israel, entering the war in defense of the Iranian regime instead of the people of Lebanon. We’ve targeted hundreds of Hezbollah targets, including in Tyre, Sidon, Beirut. Anti-tank missiles have been fire at IDF forces, injuring two soldiers.
Why did you start this war?
We didn’t. Iran did. 47 years ago.
Iran has been waging a war on Israel, the US and the West at large for decades.
This takes the form of terrorism, proxy warfare (supporting Hamas’ October 7th attacks, the Houthi rocket fire, and close to a billion dollars of support to Hezbollah), the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical regime hellbent on our destruction, and - increasingly - a massive amount of ballistic missiles).
This has been getting worse.
Iran’s conventional weapon threat (they were hoping to increase their ballistic missile stock to 8,000 by 2027) has been increasing dramatically. This is both a standalone threat and a shield for nuclear aspirations.
We have clear goals: to eliminate the existential threat that Iran poses to us—whether through Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas, their massive ballistic missile stocks, or their nuclear weapons.
We saw them fund Hamas’s October 7th attacks, shout “death to America” and “death to Israel”—and then try to make it happen. We are not starting a war; we are ending one.
Why now?
The threat was getting worse. As I said before, intelligence revealed highly aggressive goals for their ballistic missile program, accelerating production from dozens a month to a target of 8,000 missiles by 2027.
Their strategy of firing missiles at residential neighborhoods would be catastrophic if they reached that 8,000-missile target. This is a true existential threat. Just this week recently, nine civilians - including children - were killed by an Iranian strike on the rural town of Beit Shemesh. Multiply those nine civilians by 8,000 missiles, and that is exactly why we needed to act. Today.
The combination of this increasing threat and breakthrough intelligence gave us the unique opportunity to defend ourselves.
Iran wasn’t just a ticking time bomb; it was a ticking time bomb getting bigger and bigger.
They are already using conventional ballistic missiles against civilians across the Middle East and even Europe. Can you believe—even for a second—that they wouldn’t use a nuclear weapon now if they had one?
When will it end?
That’s a question best asked from our political leadership. when we receive the order to stand down, we will. But for now, we follow our orders to dismantle this terror machine and secure our borders.
Are you trying to topple the Iranian regime?
Unlike the Iranian regime, which has actively been waging a war on its own people, our war is not with the Iranian people. The Iranian regime has been brutalizing its citizens for decades.
Israel simply wants to live safely, without the ongoing threat of Iran’s terrorist proxies, ballistic missiles, and nuclear ambitions. No more October 7ths. No more terrorist organizations on our border firing at us because of someone else’s war.
We hope that the people of Iran can one day live with dignity and freedom, but our war is being waged to protect our people.
Are you operating in Lebanon?
Yes, we are striking Hezbollah targets with great force, have warned any Iranian proxy leaders to get out of Lebanon, and are making sure that Hezbollah cannot threaten our civilians.
They decided to attack the Israeli homefront in the middle of a war for our survival against Iran. They continue to fire at our troops.
Hezbollah claims to be the “protector” of Lebanon, but this could not be farther from the truth. They made a choice about who they wanted to defend, and they chose loyalty to the Iranian terrorist regime over the safety of Lebanon’s citizens. The people of Lebanon know this, too, and there is wall-to-wall condemnation within Lebanon of Hezbollah’s actions.
Our forces are in what we call a “forward defense posture”; a deployment in place to make sure the residents of northern Israel are safe from any October-7th style attack by the Hezbollah’s Radjwan forces. Because, as I said before, we will protect the people of Israel.
Are you using the rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon as a pretense?
Israel tried diplomatic solutions.
Over the past year and a half, Hezbollah has continued to attempt to establish its terrorist presence in southern Lebanon in direct violation of those agreements. Then, they chose to defend the Ayatollah’s terrorist regime instead of their own country.
Hezbollah has a large arsenal of rockets, advanced weapons provided courtesy of Iran, and thousands of trained fighters. This is a direct, active threat on our border that Hezbollah has shown it is willing to activate. When a globally recognized terrorist organization fires at your residents, you take it seriously. After the past two and a half years, the lesson is clear: you cannot ignore direct threats on your border.
Before I sign off, check out this bird’s eye view of a missile strike on an Iranian defense system.
Got more questions? I have answers. Send them my way.
Nadav Shoshani
IDF Spokesperson to International Media
Proud to be Israeli! Our IAF and the rest of them are doing an amazing job!
Thank you again and again for what you are doing! And for posting your extremely clear and helpful updates.