IDF chief says military ‘closely monitoring’ Iran and prepared to ‘respond with force’

By Emanuel Fabian

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5 May 2026, 6:58 pm

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

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a handover ceremony for the chief of the Israeli Air Force, at the Tel Nof Airbase, May 5, 2026. (Screenshot/IDF)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military is “prepared to respond with force” if Iran targets Israel amid the escalation in the Gulf.

“Our forces are deployed across all sectors, fighting and prepared in immediate readiness for any scenario — from near and from far,” Zamir says at a handover ceremony for the chief of the Israeli Air Force.

“The IDF, in all its systems, maintains high readiness,” he says.

Zamir says the military is “closely monitoring developments in the Persian Gulf” and is “prepared to respond with force against any attempt to harm Israel.”