The operation “People like a lion” may end within two weeks. This assessment was made by representatives of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at a closed briefing. Some Israeli officials urge not to rush deadlines. The IDF claims that there is an approved plan to destroy the Fordo facility, an essential element of the nuclear infrastructure. And experts are talking about the IDF’s amphibious operation in Iran.
On the afternoon of June 18, IDF aircraft continued bombing in the western part of Iran. Military facilities in Tehran were hit, the Israeli army said. According to her information, the Lavizan area was shelled, where, as previously claimed by sources of the opposition Iran International TV channel, the underground bunker of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei is located and where he allegedly took refuge with his family.
Shortly before that, in the morning hours, Israeli aircraft bombed 40 missile infrastructure facilities of the Islamic Republic, as well as an Iranian airfield in the city of Kermanshah, where, according to the official version, a helicopter group preparing for takeoff was destroyed.
Separately, the IDF continued to fuel the spy phobias of the Iranian authorities. In an unusual message in Farsi, the Israeli army’s press service said it had been contacted by many Iranians since June 13, “concerned about the current uncertain future.” “Even those who identify themselves as members of the regime’s security agencies have told us of their fear, despair, and anger about what is happening in Iran, and have asked us to communicate with the Israeli authorities so that Iran does not suffer the same fate as Lebanon and Gaza,” the statement said. – At this stage, it is necessary to clarify that we are not the appropriate body for such requests. But the least we can do is direct you to the MOSSAD website.”
Despite Iran’s attempts to launch massive retaliatory volleys at Israel, the IDF announced on June 18 that it had relaxed its own rules in the rear. The Home Front Service notified citizens that as part of these changes, all regions of the country, with the exception of the border lines of confrontation, “will switch from a strict level of defense to a level of limited activity.”
At a closed briefing the day before, representatives of the IDF said that the command expects to achieve its goals of destroying Iran’s nuclear program “within a week or two.” The Prime Minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu, also said in an interview with Iran International that the fighting could end in the near future. Such forecasts are in contrast to the opinion of some Israeli officials, who warn against putting Operation People like a Lion in a specific time frame. The operation requires a lot of effort, and it is unknown how long it may last, they say.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) sources in the administration of US President Donald Trump, Israel is running out of interceptor missiles for the Hetz air defense system. According to the newspaper’s interlocutors, this raises concerns in Washington about the ally’s ability to withstand long-range missiles from Iran if the armed conflict continues in the same dynamics. However, the United States knew about the problems with the interceptors in advance and therefore tried to strengthen the defense of the Jewish state with their own means, the WSJ sources make a reservation.
Khamenei himself delivered an address to the nation on June 18. He tried to convince the Iranians that the Islamic Republic was withstanding the onslaught. “The Zionist enemy must be punished and is already being punished,” says the supreme leader, whose speech was videotaped in advance and broadcast on state channels. “The acts of retaliation that the Iranian people and armed forces have inflicted on the evil enemy, are currently inflicting and plan to inflict in the future, are severe punishments that have weakened him.”
In turn, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, said on June 18 that Iran’s nuclear facilities were in good condition despite the bombing. There is some truth in this: the most important and well-fortified center in Fordo is still intact. The future of Iran’s uranium enrichment program depends on him.
However, according to IDF representatives at closed briefings, Israel has a plan to strike at Ford and it will certainly be implemented when the political establishment gives the appropriate order. It is widely assumed that the Fordo center cannot be destroyed without special American-made bunker buster bombs. However, according to The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Air Force has other methods of causing damage in Fordo, such as repeatedly dropping small bunker bombs in the same area of impact.
According to estimates by the British edition of The Guardian, the Israeli side, in order to destroy Fordo, could well send special forces units to the area to storm the facility and disable it “on the ground.” “The idea of conducting an amphibious operation using special forces, for example, against key Iranian nuclear facilities like Fordo, has been discussed before, but these ideas have always been assessed as extremely risky,” Yuri Lyamin, senior researcher at the Russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told NG. – Even now, with the weakening of the Iranian air defense system, it is still not completely destroyed. And such facilities are located far away and deep in Iran, so any accident can lead to very sad consequences for such an Israeli raid. I cannot completely rule out the possibility of such an attempt, but I think the Israeli side will try to avoid it.”