‘We have more surprises coming up’: Israel vows further strikes as Iran missile threat soars to 8,000

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Senior intelligence official tells Fox News Iran projected to amass massive arsenal within two years as Operation Rising Lion claims top Iranian commanders

A senior Israeli intelligence official has warned that Israel has “more surprises coming up” for Iran following devastating airstrikes that killed the Islamic Republic’s top military commanders and targeted its nuclear facilities.

The high-ranking source, speaking exclusively to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst on Saturday, revealed that Israeli intelligence projects Iran will have an arsenal of 8,000 ballistic missiles within two years – a four-fold increase from its current stockpile of 2,000.

“We cannot end this operation knowing that we will be in the same spot two years from now,” the official said. “Everything is going as planned. Actually, better than planned.”

The official added: “We have lots of surprises. Not just the ones we already did. We have more surprises coming up.”

Operation Rising Lion strikes at heart of Iranian threat

The warning comes as Israel’s Operation Rising Lion enters its second day, with the unprecedented military campaign already achieving what Israeli officials describe as “historic” results.

Israel said it launched “Operation Rising Lion” to target Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure.

The operation has eliminated Iran’s top military leadership, including:

• General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
• Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces
• Ali Shamkhani, former National Security Chief and key adviser to Supreme Leader Khamenei

During the initial strike against a meeting of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force officials, Israeli intelligence assessed that 30 commanders were killed.

It’s a historic achievement,” the official told Fox News.

Nuclear facilities devastated

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation in a televised address, declaring it would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.

Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said.

The strikes have caused critical damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, with the Natanz uranium enrichment facility – home to thousands of centrifuges – reportedly hit multiple times and destroyed.

40 air defense systems eliminated

The Israeli official revealed that forty Iranian air defense systems have been hit since the beginning of the operation, which is pursuing three primary objectives:

• Targeting Iran’s nuclear program
• Destroying ballistic missile capabilities
• Removing the Iranian existential threat against Israel

Right now, Israel believes Iran has about 2,000 missiles.

The systematic destruction of Iran’s air defenses has left the country increasingly vulnerable to further Israeli strikes.

US ‘fully coordinated’ with Israel

While the United States was not directly involved in the strikes, the Israeli official praised unprecedented American support.

The way the U.S. is standing beside Israel is unprecedented,” he said. “We feel it.”

The official also told Fox News that the U.S. is “fully coordinated” with Israel, yet declined to go into specifics.

President Trump, who was informed of the operation in advance, posted on Truth Social urging Iran to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” warning that subsequent Israeli attacks could be “even more brutal.

Iran retaliates with missile barrage

Iran has already begun retaliating with its own missile strikes on Israeli cities, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning Saturday: “If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at Israel’s home front – Tehran will burn.

Israel now expects more incoming Iranian missiles in the days ahead that will cause casualties and destruction.

Operation could conclude within days

Despite the escalating conflict, the Israeli official expressed optimism that the bulk of the operation could be completed quickly.

I think we can finish it in days… It’s a good thing that we have the U.S. by our side,” the official said.

The operation, codenamed Rising Lion after a biblical verse from Numbers 23:24 – “A people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion lifts himself up” – represents the largest attack on Iran since the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.

Iran’s nuclear sprint prompted strike

Israeli sources indicate the timing of the attack was influenced by intelligence showing Iran had begun a “full-scale sprint” toward developing nuclear weapons under direct orders from Supreme Leader Khamenei.

The accelerated program was expected to allow Tehran to assemble a basic nuclear explosive device within months, according to Israeli assessments.

For years, the Iranian regime has called for the destruction of the state of Israel,” an IDF spokesperson said. Over the past few months, intelligence has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

As the operation continues, the Israeli official’s promise of “more surprises” suggests the most dramatic phase of this historic confrontation may still lie ahead.