Israel has destroyed half of Iran's rocket launchers, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Eyal Zamir said today.

In a recorded message, he warned that Israel"must be prepared for a long-term campaign" in order to "remove a threat of such proportions, against such an enemy," according to CNN.

"Thanks to the powerful and surprising initial strike, we achieved remarkable results," Zamir said, referring to Israel's strikes on targets in Iran, which began on June 13.

He added that Israel, in addition to eliminating Iran's high military command and dealing significant blows to its nuclear program, destroyed surface-to-air missile batteries and about half of Iran's rocket launchers, some of them as they were preparing to launch the missiles.

He linked Israeli operations in Iran to the 53 remaining hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023.

"Their return home is a moral and national imperative, and the Israel Defense Forces are working tirelessly to achieve this. The operations we are conducting these days in Iran also contribute to that goal," Zamir said.

He added that Israel is preparing for a wide range of possible developments.