Years of preparation went into 'Rising Lion' ops against Iran: Israeli Minister
'This operation took years to prepare,' Chikli told Eye for Iran. 'It's the very hard walk of the IDF intelligence, the Mossad... thousands of people are involved in this.'
'This is just the beginning,' he said, without disclosing operational details or how the mission might continue.
Iran launched over 200 missiles at Israel injuring at least 14 people after Israeli attacks killed its top military leadership and pounded armed forces and nuclear sites leaving scores of Iranians dead.
While Israel's initial strikes hit key nuclear sites like Natanz and Fordow, Iran's nuclear infrastructure spans dozens of locations. According to Israeli assessments, further strikes will likely be needed to eliminate what is seen as an existential threat, Iran International reported.
Chikli said the objective was not regime change, but to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. While many Iranians have called on Israel to help bring down the Islamic Republic, he said meaningful change must come from within.
'This is the time to seize the moment and to try and take back your country from the Revolutionary Guards," said Chikli, "Will Iranians use this moment to change the course of history, or not?'
Dr. Eric Mandel, a Middle East analyst and advisor to US and Israeli defense officials, told Eye for Iran that this moment marks the Islamic Republic's deepest vulnerability since its founding in 1979—one of the most consequential events in modern Iranian and Middle Eastern history.
'Iran is at its weakest in 46 years,' said Mandel, who directs the Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN).
He says Trump now faces a defining choice—retreat into isolationism or use Israeli military action as leverage for long-term strategic change.
'The big question is, what will President Trump do? Not what the Israelis will do. What will the president do with what Israel has handed to them?'
Mandel suggests that one option remains on the table: a US strike on Iran's deeply fortified enrichment site.
Israeli Minister Chikli said the operation's name, Rising Lion, came from both Iran's original flag and a verse from the Book of Numbers: 'A nation that rises like a lion.'
"We believe this is a moment not just for security—but for shared history and future peace.'
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