Air Force Chief Says Iran Strike Was Halted an Hour Before Takeoff

Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler sent a letter to service members describing a planned strike on Iran that was stopped at the last moment after intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump. Tischler said the entire Air Force was ready to launch a broad attack, with hundreds of targets in the heart of Iran, and that the mission was halted while crews were still being briefed at the squadrons, just one hour before departure.

The letter was published Tuesday morning by Kan News. Tischler wrote that it is still too early to know how global developments will affect the security situation, but he emphasized the scale of the damage already inflicted on Iran. According to him, Israel struck hard at the Iranian leadership, defensive and offensive systems, nuclear components, the economy, the chain of command and knowledge, and the military and national industry.

He said those strikes significantly reduced the threat, extended the time Iran would need to recover, and preserved Israel’s ability to operate in Iran again if needed. The remarks come after the IDF first said Israel was acting within a preplanned operation and had prepared for several days of fighting after Iran fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the ceasefire.

In practice, however, American pressure ahead of a deal with Iran led Washington to push both sides to stop firing, and the exchange of strikes ended in less than a day.