Top Israeli military official reveals operation against Iran involved 'strategic and operational deception'

FIRST ON FOX: As Israel wages what it describes as an existential campaign against Iran, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the war has reinforced a fundamental strategic shift in how Israel sees itself and its alliances, particularly with the United States and regional partners.

He described the 2020 agreements as transformative, building on the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. "The military cooperation is great. Some of the things are overt and some covert," Defrin said in his first English-language media interview since the beginning of the conflict. "Iran is a regional threat, and that is clear to everyone now."

But he stressed the campaign against Tehran is not only regional.

"It's a worldwide problem, it's a global problem, it's a regional problem and it's also an Israeli problem," he said. "They are not hitting only Israel."

The spokesperson revealed that the operation was preceded by months of strategic deception.

On the eve of the strike, senior officials deliberately maintained routine appearances.

He said Iran was caught off guard. "For many long months there was deception, so they were surprised. They fired what they had pre-planned in their preset response."

"They are posing a threat to the Red Sea… the movement of naval ships in the Suez Canal dropped by 90% since the Houthis started shooting at ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait," he said. "It's a global problem. It's a terror regime. They are acting all over the world. And again, we had to act."

He added that regional states increasingly understand the threat. "Israel is here to stay. You see the countries of the region placing their trust in Israel."

Addressing reports that dozens of senior Iranian figures were eliminated in a strike on Tuesday, including claims that 88 members of Iran's Assembly of Experts were killed, he dismissed the figures.

"We struck a few targets involved in terrorism. We still don't have any battle damage assessment. Once we have it, we will publish it. It's too early."

According to the spokesperson, Israeli intelligence shows Iran is deliberately aiming at civilians "to exact a price," including launches toward civilian infrastructure.

Explaining the decision to launch the campaign, the spokesperson described Iran as an imminent existential threat.

"We didn't have another choice, unfortunately. It's an existential imminent threat. This is a terror regime," he said.

"They declared it. Whatever they declared, they did."

Asked whether regime change is an objective, he drew a distinction between military aims and political outcomes.

"As a member of the military, I cannot say we have an aim to remove the regime," he said. "But definitely, we want to weaken it and create the conditions that one day this regime will be removed by its own people."

For Israel, he said, the campaign has clarified a strategic reality shaped by the Abraham Accords and deepened U.S. cooperation. "We are part of this region now."