Israel’s Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi delivers a joint statement with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Corinna Kern

JNS.org – The operational plans against Iran’s nuclear program will “continue to evolve and improve. Whatever it may be, it is our duty to provide an effective and timely military response,” said Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, on Tuesday.

He spoke at a ceremony marking the entry of a new military intelligence commander of the IDF Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva.

The IDF and the intelligence community “know quite a bit about what is happening in Iran and are working against Iranian regional entrenchment throughout the Middle East,” said Kochavi. “Operations to destroy threatening Iranian capabilities will continue in various arenas and at any time.”

Addressing the outgoing head of the directorate, Maj. Gen. Tamir Heiman, Kochavi said that under his command it “became a natural and integral part of the fighting forces and operational planning. You commanded [it] responsibly and with an in-depth approach while understanding the IDF’s needs. The directorate has also become more modern, more accurate and more attuned to operational needs.”