March 6, 2026

US and Israel Announce Transition to New Stage of War Against Iran

The US and Israel have successfully completed the first phase of the war against Iran and are moving to a new stage. This was reported by The Times of Israel, citing the head of the IDF General Staff, Eyal Zamir, and the head of the US Army's Central Command, Brad Cooper. According to Lieutenant General Zamir, during the first phase, Israel and the US destroyed 80% of Iran's air defense systems and over 60% of its ballistic missile launchers. General Cooper stated at a press conference that the number of ballistic missile strikes by Iran has decreased by 90% since the start of the war, and the number of drone attacks by 83%. There is no independent confirmation of Zamir's and Cooper's statements. Representatives of the military departments of both countries announced that strikes on the Islamic Republic's territory will be intensified during the second phase. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said at a conference that the US has enough ammunition to continue bombings "indefinitely." This statement is questioned by some European and American military experts. In particular, sources for "BBC" and Bloomberg have reported that the US may not have enough air defense assets. "After completing the surprise strike phase, during which we secured air superiority and destroyed ballistic missile launchers, we are moving to the next stage of the campaign, in which we will intensify strikes on the regime's foundation and its military potential," Zamir noted. On the night of March 6, Israel and the US launched new strikes on Iran. According to Cooper, US B-2 bombers dropped "dozens" of bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground ballistic missile launch facilities. He also stated that the US Army struck the Islamic Republic's military factories. The US Central Command reported hitting an Iranian aircraft carrier used by the Islamic Republic for launching drones. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, claimed the vessel was participating in joint exercises with India and was therefore unarmed. "Many young Iranian sailors participating in these exercises have died," the deputy minister added. The IDF, in turn, reported a "large-scale wave of strikes on the infrastructures of Iran's terrorist regime in Tehran." It is claimed that during this wave, the Israeli Air Force destroyed six ballistic missile launchers and three air defense systems. According to the Associated Press, explosions were heard in the eastern part of Tehran and in the Iranian city of Kermanshah near the border with Iraq on the night of March 6. A representative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Ali Mohammad Naeini, stated that Iran is ready for a protracted war "until the aggressor is punished" and intends to inflict "painful blows" on its adversaries, according to the Isna agency. Later, the Iranian command reported attacks on the Ramat David airbase and a radar facility at the Meron base in Israel, the Tasnim agency writes. Additionally, it is claimed that the Islamic Republic struck the US headquarters in Erbil, Iraq, and a US base in Kuwait. There is no independent confirmation of these claims.