Israel compared Iran's leaders to "mice hiding in tunnels" and called them "twins of "Hamas".
"The Iranian leadership is hiding like rats in tunnels, just like Hamas leadership in Gaza. Today, they are essentially twins of "Hamas". From these tunnels, they issue orders to fire on civilians and civilian targets in Israel and throughout the region. That's what they have become - the twins of "Hamas", Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pointed out.
He added: "Thousands have been killed. They are hiding this by shutting down the internet, but I understand that the hospital morgues are full. We are targeting terrorist forces here, not civilians. This must continue."
Katz stressed that Israel would continue its operations against the regime and its strategic targets in Iran, "day after day, target after target," while seeking to "enable the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow this regime."
"Ultimately, it is up to them," he concluded.