IDF chief lauds ‘significant achievements’ in Iran but says ‘many more days of fighting lie ahead’

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) is seen alongside IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar (left), Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai (second from right) and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, during an assessment at the IDF HQ in Tel Aviv, March 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) is seen alongside IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar (left), Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai (second from right) and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, during an assessment at the IDF HQ in Tel Aviv, March 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

While approving battle plans with the military’s top brass this evening, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says Israel has reached “significant achievements” in Iran, but “many more days of fighting lie ahead.”

“We are less than 48 hours into the campaign we are engaged in; many more days of fighting lie ahead. We will do everything and operate to the best of our abilities to accelerate the achievements, and we are sparing no effort,” Zamir says in a video published by the IDF.

“We opened with a powerful surprise and with very significant achievements that have affected the development of the campaign and its results. Already now we can say that the achievements we reached at the outset will influence our end-state,” he says.

Zamir says the IDF has been operating “since the start of the campaign with great force, with one of our main objectives being the reduction of threats to the home front. Patience is now required.”

“We are operating in close cooperation with our ally, and coordination with the US military is tighter than ever,” he continues, adding that “we are monitoring developments in additional arenas as well, and we will act forcefully against anyone who tries to challenge us.”

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