Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir revealed on Wednesday that IDF commando forces were operating on the ground during strikes against Iran.
“We achieved full control of the Iranian skies and every location we chose to operate in. This was made possible in part thanks to the joint efforts and subterfuge of our air forces and commandos on the ground,” Zamir said during a television address, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“These forces operated covertly in the heart of enemy territory, securing operational freedom of action,” he added.
“Operation Rising Lion will be remembered in history as one of Israel’s most daring and successful operations.”
????Watch IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir’s announcement regarding Operation Rising Lion: pic.twitter.com/dX3GWYRMsD
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 26, 2025
Additionally, Mossad head David Barnea said the “Israeli spy agency had hundreds of agents on the ground inside Iran at the height of its operations,” according to the Post.
In video remarks posted by Israel’s i24 News, Barnea thanked the CIA, calling the U.S. agency Mossad’s “main partner” in the operation.
“We will continue to keep a close eye on all the projects in Iran that we know in the most in-depth ways. We will be there, and we have been there until now,” the spy chief added.
David Barnea, the Mossad chief, thanks agents, the IDF, and the CIA for the collaboration during the 12-day Operation Rising Lion, which achieved ‘goals that initially seemed imaginary’ against Iran pic.twitter.com/qudlLo4TuB
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 25, 2025
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in the Netherlands that a reason he has confidence that the U.S. strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites were successful is because Israel has assets on the ground.
“Israel is doing a report on it now, I understand. And I was told that they said it was total obliteration. You know they have guys that go in there after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump said.
???? Breaking: Trump reveals that Israeli agents entered Fordow after the US strike ????
“Israel’s guys went in there [Fordow] after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration” pic.twitter.com/1UAahF1sfM
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 25, 2025
Additionally, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effi Defrin said Wednesday, “Now, I trust our intelligence analysts in the Intelligence Directorate and in the Air Force. I believe they have proven themselves to be accurate in recent weeks, and I can say here that the assessment is that we significantly damaged the nuclear program, and I can also say that we set it back by years, I repeat, years,” according to The Times of Israel.
Trump also read Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission’s battle damage assessment to reporters.
President Trump reads Israel assessment on U.S. strikes: “The devastating U.S. strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable.” pic.twitter.com/jgLkRoDUGU
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 25, 2025
“The devastating U.S. strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable,” he said. “We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons for many years to come.”
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