Israeli Air Force chief says planned Iran strike was halted an hour before takeoff

Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler said in a letter published Tuesday that the military was preparing last week for a large-scale strike inside Iran, targeting hundreds of sites, before it was stopped at the last minute by U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Tischler, the Air Force had already reached peak operational readiness, with all aircraft armed and prepared for a broad attack mission. He said the order to stop arrived while crews were still in squadron briefings, just one hour before departure.

“The entire Air Force was ready to take off for a wide strike package,” Tischler wrote, describing hours of accelerated alert status, shortened readiness time, unusual flexibility, and full-force arming and planning for “hundreds of targets in the heart of Iran.”

In the same letter, Tischler said that in the broader confrontation with Iran, Israel had badly damaged the Iranian leadership, defense and offensive systems, nuclear assets, the economy, command and knowledge chains, and military and national industry. He said those strikes reduced the threat significantly, extended Iran’s recovery time, and preserved Israel’s ability to act in Iran again if needed.