The commander of Israel's air force claimed that last week the service was on the brink of a large-scale strike against Iran, but the operation was called off at the last moment. He said all air units were prepared for a massive wave of attacks, with aircraft only a few hours away from receiving final flight orders. The chief added that the force was ready to hit hundreds of targets deep inside Iran, and that pilots were receiving their final briefings just an hour before the planned take‑off when the mission was stopped.