The IDF on Monday said the newest conflict with Iran is expected to last at least a few days, and could still heat up into a return to full-blown war.
As of 11:30 a.m., Iran has fired three salvos, which cumulatively have reached between 22 and 24 ballistic missiles at Israel, while the Houthis in Yemen have fired two missiles.
One of the Houthi missiles fell short of Israeli territory, while the other was shot down by the Israeli air defense.
All of the Iranian missiles so far have either been shot down or fallen short.
To date, in two waves of air force attacks (the first starting at 4:07 a.m.), the air force has struck nine different Islamic Republic air defense and radar systems as well as a petrochemical complex, including three separate facilities there.
Some of these facilities assist with the process of producing ballistic missiles.
In addition, certain mid-senior-level Hezbollah commanders responsible for launching drones were assassinated by the IDF recently. This attack is connected to the video that surfaced on social media late Monday morning.
IDF chief, CENTCOM commander, continue to communicate, coordinate
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has spoken to US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief Adm. Brad Cooper three times since this latest conflict with Iran started.
So far, the IDF said that while the US military is staying out of offensive attacks on Iran, it has already assisted in shooting down missiles fired at Israel.
According to the IDF, Iran is trying to define the current narrative as its chance to regain its gravitas as the defender of its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, while also pressuring the US into better terms in the ongoing standoff between the countries.
Some IDF officials believe that until these further rounds of fighting wrap up, Iran's regime is simply not ready to sign a deal along the lines currently proposed by the US.
IDF criticizes media coverage of escalation with Iran
The IDF criticized much of the global media for presenting the current round of conflict as if Iran and Israel are equal provocateurs.
Rather, the IDF stated that it has been fighting with Hezbollah, but has not attacked Iran since April 7.
The IDF said that the media and the world must clearly understand that it was Iran that unilaterally broke the bilateral ceasefire between the countries.
IDF sources indicated that while there were plans ready for any scenario with Iran, there were clearly many top officials who did not believe that the Islamic Republic would break the ceasefire as it has, which delayed the Israeli response for a period of hours, along with the three to four-hour flight time.
However, this answer by IDF sources also exposed that the IDF and the US no longer had sufficient air coverage nearby to preemptively bomb Iranian missile teams before they would launch, as it did sometimes during Operation Roaring Lion.