Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said Tuesday that Israel has effectively secured victory in its war against Iran, though he made clear that military operations will continue and declined to offer any timeline for when the conflict might conclude.

At a press briefing, Sa’ar explained that Israel’s goal is to eliminate what he called “existential threats,” but did not spell out how officials would determine when those threats had been fully neutralized.

“One must be patient,” he said, referring to the 18th day of fighting in a war that has left more than 2,000 people dead across multiple countries, including Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and parts of the Persian Gulf.

Israeli leaders, including Sa’ar, have repeatedly said their broader objective is to significantly degrade Iran’s capacity to strike Israel over time, while also creating internal pressure that could eventually lead to political change within Iran.

At the same time, Sa’ar acknowledged that any effort to bring down Iran’s leadership would ultimately have to come from within the country itself, indicating that such an outcome does not appear imminent.

According to the Israeli military, its forces have been targeting Iran’s ballistic missile systems, including launch sites as well as storage and manufacturing facilities. Strikes have also been carried out against locations tied to Iran’s nuclear program, along with security infrastructure.

“We have already won,” Sa’ar said, asserting that Iran has been severely weakened and is no longer the same power it was before the war began on Feb. 28 with coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes.

“This is clear for us and for our neighbors, but we will continue until the point that the mission is complete,” he said.

Despite those claims, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles toward Israel on Tuesday, underscoring that it still retains the ability to carry out long-range attacks more than two weeks into the war.

Messages from Washington about the duration of the conflict have varied, with President Donald Trump at times suggesting it could end soon while also indicating that operations remain ongoing. Israeli officials have similarly avoided committing to a timeline, and the military has said it is prepared for several more weeks of fighting and beyond.

“We are doing a very important job,” Sa’ar said, shortly after Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli forces had killed senior Iranian security figure Ali Larijani.

The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has destabilized the broader region, with Israel also engaged in combat with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, while Iran has launched strikes targeting Gulf Arab states.

Iran has also effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows, fueling rising energy prices and concerns about inflation.

Several American allies have declined President Trump’s request to deploy naval forces to help escort commercial tankers through the strait, with some criticizing the U.S. and Israel for initiating the conflict without broader consultation. Sa’ar condemned Iran’s actions in the waterway, calling them “modern piracy” and warning that the issue affects the entire international community.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who appeared alongside Sa’ar, indicated that his country could consider joining a U.S.-led effort to reopen the vital shipping route. However, he said Washington would first need to clearly outline its goals and specify what kind of assistance it is seeking.

{Matzav.com}