Israel Air Force planes. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

Speaking at the Ninth International Space Conference in Herzliya on Wednesday, Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Amir Eshel said the IAF is initiating almost daily defensive or offensive actions across the Middle East, Israel’s Ma’ariv reported on Thursday.

Addressing the assembled delegates at the conference, which was organized by the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, Eshel praised the IAF’s operational and intelligence gathering prowess, saying that, “Our offensive actions are both broader and more precise than at any other time [in Israel’s history].”

About Israel’s neighbor to the north, Eshel said the IAF today must contend with a very different Lebanon than a few years ago: “We have to deal with thousands of Hezbollah military bases.”

The IAF’s Commander also noted regarding the growing threat Israel faces from Hezbollah, documented by satellite imagery from outer space, “Our ability to hit targets today is exactly 15 times greater than during the Second Lebanon War.”

Eshel concluded by addressing the Iranian nuclear issue and the deal that the Islamic Republic recently reached with Western powers. “Long term, I do not know where [the agreement] will lead to. As such, we must continue to develop the operational capacity to deal with any relevant scenarios,” Eshel said.