TEHRAN – A top Iranian commander has declared that the Islamic Republic’s military postuSuccessful strike in Dimona re has evolved from defensive to offensive, a shift driven by the deployment of advanced weaponry and new tactics amid escalating reprisal strikes against American and Israeli targets.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, the head of Iran’s highest operational command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced the strategic change on Sunday, stating that it is intended to “disrupt enemy calculations.”

General Abdollahi said the transformation involves a comprehensive overhaul of battlefield tactics to support the new offensive approach. He added that Iran aims to introduce “new surprises” in future engagements.

He also stressed that the armed forces would remain steadfast under the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. “The national cohesion and history-making solidarity of the warrior nation and the proud armed forces of Iran under the full subordination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution promise more victories ahead,” he said.

The commander noted that Iranian forces are increasingly harnessing the talents of young scientists to develop cutting-edge equipment, a development he said has not gone unnoticed by adversaries. “The criminal enemies of Iran have already understood some aspects of it on the battlefield,” he said, adding that the new military capabilities are already affecting enemy operations and strategic planning.

Abdollahi characterized the current period of transformation as “only the beginning.”

The remarks followed the 74th wave of Iran’s Operation True Promise 4, an operation it launched at the start of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran hours after the two regimes’ opening strikes on February 28. The latest wave targeted several U.S. bases in the region, something Iran has been conducting almost daily, as well as locations in southern and central Israel that it had not struck during the current war.

Hebrew media, which has maintained strict censorship on Iranian strikes and their impacts, was forced to report on the matter after just two Iranian missiles were fired—both of which managed to infiltrate Israeli defense systems, hit their targets in two of the most protected areas in the occupied territories, and cause heavy damage. Iran struck two nuclear-related centers: one in Dimona and one in Arad. It came a day after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Natanz facility in central Iran. 

Following the attack, Iran’s top legislator stated that reports of significant damage caused to the city of Dimona in the central occupied territories by Iranian missile strikes point to the disempowerment of Israeli defenses in the face of Iranian retaliation.

"If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the highly protected area of Dimona, it is, in operational terms, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle," Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

Analysts believe Iranians have prepared themselves for a prolonged war, where they gradually increase the quality and quantity of attacks against American and Israeli assets.