Israel called off broad Iran strike an hour before launch – Times of Israel
Israel’s air force was preparing to strike hundreds of targets in Iran during the recent fighting but the operation was halted an hour before launch, the Times of Israel reported on Tuesday, citing a message by Air Force Chief Major General Omer Tischler to soldiers.
Tischler said Israeli aircraft had already struck dozens of targets in Iran in response to Iranian missile fire, causing significant damage to its air defense system and hitting other government-linked components.
“In parallel with the defensive battle, the Air Force launched an offensive 1,500 kilometers [932 miles] from home. Within a few hours, dozens of targets in Iran were struck, significantly damaging the Iranian air defense system and hitting additional regime components,” he wrote, according to the report.
He said that by the afternoon of June 8, the entire air force was ready for a broad strike sortie targeting hundreds of sites in the heart of Iran, but the mission was stopped during squadron briefings.
The strikes were reportedly canceled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after US President Donald Trump told him not to escalate the conflict with Iran