Israeli Air Force Chief Reveals: "The Strike on Iran Was Called Off While We Were Briefing the Pilots"

Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar published a letter today (Tuesday) to air force personnel, revealing that the large-scale attack planned for last week on Iranian territory was canceled about an hour before the aircraft were set to take off.

As previously reported, Israel had planned to launch an attack on Iran, but U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that the strike be canceled. According to the Air Force commander, the operation included an attack on hundreds of different targets.

Bar explained in the letter that the forces were at the peak of operational readiness ahead of the mission. "The entire Air Force was ready to take off for a broad attack sortie. Just hours after the order to prepare for takeoff, while shortening the alert time, demonstrating extraordinary flexibility, arming the entire Air Force, planning, organizing, and preparing for takeoff to strike hundreds of targets in the heart of Iran. The strike was halted while we were briefing in the squadrons, just one hour before departure for the sortie."

According to Bar, despite the halt of that specific operation, the air arm inflicted heavy and lasting damage on Tehran’s strategic systems in previous rounds of fighting. The Air Force commander wrote: "In the long campaign against Iran, we severely damaged the Iranian leadership, the defense and attack systems, nuclear components, the economy, the chain of command and knowledge, and the military and national industry, while significantly reducing the threat, extending the rehabilitation period, and preserving the ability to return and operate in Iran as required."