Air Force Commander Admits: "On the Morning of October 7, We Failed"

The Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, published a letter to his soldiers marking three years of war, in which he admitted that on the morning of October 7, 2023, the Air Force failed to stop the massacre. Bar described the force's operations since then, including strikes, interceptions, and troop landings, and emphasized the heavy cost of the war.

The Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, published a letter to all personnel marking three years of war, in which he honestly admitted: "On the morning of October 7, we failed." Bar wrote that the personnel did everything they could, but it was not enough to stop "the terrible massacre." He described the force's operations since the attack, including the launch of all formations, strikes near communities and beyond the line, neutralizing hundreds of terrorists, landing special forces, and intercepting hundreds of missiles by the air defense array, which lost its best people. Bar mentioned Israel's fallen heroes over three years of war, the bereaved families, and the wounded in body and soul. He referred to the third year of the war, in which the force operated in all arenas—Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Syria, and Lebanon—as part of Operation "Roar of the Lion," while neutralizing senior regime officials and achieving air superiority. Bar concluded with a promise that the force would continue to lead processes of change and learning, implement the war investigations, and protect Israel's security.