In warning to Iran, IDF head says army ready to strike any time and any place

Speaking at a pilot graduation ceremony, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warns Iran and its proxies against carrying out further attacks on Israel.

“Iran should know, its proxies should know and the entire Middle East, anyone who tries to undermine the stability and security of the State of Israel, the IDF will stand firm against them, ready to strike at any time and in any place,” Halevi says.

The IDF chief also says the military has a “moral and urgent duty” to bring home the 100 hostages held by Hamas in the Strip. “The IDF is doing and will do whatever it takes to ensure their return home,” he says.

On the military’s October 7 probes, Halevi says the investigations “must be thorough and genuine.”

“This is our duty to the fallen and their families, to the families of the hostages, to the political echelon, and to the entire public. And this is a duty to ourselves, as the only possible way to improve and learn,” he says.

“The IDF has been investigating itself since the day it was founded, but operational investigations do not replace or contradict external inspection bodies. The IDF will cooperate with any external inspection mechanism that is decided upon,” Halevi adds, referring to a state commission of inquiry that has so far been rejected by the Israeli government.