IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir stated on Wednesday that striking at Iran "means striking the axis — from Yemen to every front you are aware of...it reaches Hamas. Iran is behind arming Hamas, sustaining Hamas, and financing Hamas."
Zamir's comments came during a situational assessment meeting with the IDF's Southern Command at the regional command headquarters on Wednesday. "That’s why the operation we are conducting in Iran directly affects the situation here as well," he added.
"We are engaged in a very significant operation to remove an existential threat." Zamir noted.
Connecting Hamas's October 7 massacre, and Israel's pre-emptive airstrikes on Iran as part of Operation Rising Lion on Friday, Zamir commented that "Important and direct lessons have been learned from the events of October 7. We are not waiting for threats to materialize to the point where it is too late to address them."
"We are striking [Iran's] nuclear program. It is now clear to all of you that there is a direct line connecting Iran to the entire axis." he elaborated, adding that the IDF is "confronting the nuclear program, confronting the missile program, and reducing the threat."
During his meetings with Southern Command staff, which included Southern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor as well as other senior Southern Command personnel, Zamir emphasized the importance of continued combat operations in the Gaza Strip, both to return the hostages still held in terror captivity, and to dismantle Hamas as a terrorist organization.
"We never forget our mission here — returning the hostages and defeating Hamas. We have not forgotten our hostages. This is a moral imperative. We must bring the hostages home," he stated.
"I believe that the operation we are conducting [against Iran] will ultimately influence our ability to achieve better conditions to secure the return of our hostages," he explained.
IDF chief mourns recent regrettable loss of several soldiers in Gaza operations
"I greatly appreciate what you are doing. I know that you are operating professionally and under significant risk," he added, noting that "Regrettably, we have paid a very heavy price in recent days," acknowledging the deaths of several soldiers during operations in the terror enclave.
"You must stay committed to the mission. I trust that you will carry it out in the best possible way," he concluded.