The Chief of the General Staff: People of Israel, I promise you - anyone who harms you will pay and is paying a heavy price, anywhere and in every arena.

”We knew there would be a price, and it underscores why we acted now, before it became too late”

Attached are the full remarks of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir: “People of Israel, we are on the third day of Operation “Rising Lion”. This is a historic and unprecedented operation aimed at delivering a significant blow to an existential threat that Iran has built over the years with the goal of annihilating us.

We continue to operate according to a structured, thorough, professional, and evolving plan. Over the past 24 hours, we completed an aerial route to Tehran and conducted an aerial breaching battle. IAF pilots are flying at great risk to their lives, hundreds of kilometers away from Israel, striking hundreds of different targets with precision. Alongside that, we are locating and destroying missile launchers that are firing toward our territory.

From the moment we launched the campaign, we acted with surprise and deception. In the opening strike, we eliminated the top military command. We will continue to intensify our operations and, in doing so, strengthen our security for years to come.

Defending our home front is a critical component of this campaign. As I told you from the beginning, there will be difficult moments. We are in the midst of a challenge unlike those we have faced in the past.

We knew there would be a price, and it underscores why we acted now, before it became too late.

The IDF is deploying its finest systems, methods, and capabilities to minimize casualties, but there is no such thing as complete protection.

At the start of the operation, we lost civilians to missile strikes. My heart is with the families of those killed and injured.

I urge you to follow the defensive guidelines fully. Correct actions dramatically reduce the risk to human life.

It is our collective responsibility to carry them out. I wish to express my deep appreciation to the Home Front Command personnel and all security forces working together to save lives.

People of Israel, I promise you- anyone who harms you will pay and is paying a heavy price, anywhere and in every arena.

We are in the midst of a multi-front war. As we strike the Iranian regime, we continue to defend in Gaza and in other arenas.

IDF troops across the fronts are showing exceptional courage and dedication.

We never for a moment forget our moral duty to bring back our hostages held by Hamas.

Sadly, yesterday we lost a soldier from the Kfir Brigade, Sergeant First Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip. I send my condolences to his family.

We will continue with composure, persistence, and determination to achieve the objectives of this war.

The people of Israel, in their unique spirit, have always demonstrated resilience and unity in decisive moments. That is the moment we are in now.

We are a life-seeking nation, and to ensure our future and freedom, we must be ready to make difficult decisions.

The operation is at its peak- modesty, unity, stability, and faith in the justice of our cause.

Our actions speak louder than words: ‘Like a lion, the people rise.’”