TEHRAN -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it carried out a series of powerful, sustained and multi-layered operations under ‘True Promise III’ targeting an extensive range of Israeli military sites across the occupied territories.
In a statement on Thursday, IRGC said the crushing response ultimately compelled “criminal” Israel and the “already-defeated” United States to “cry out for a ceasefire.”
In response to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s call and with the support of the Iranian people, Iran launched the retaliatory operation, comprising 22 waves of ballistic missile strikes, targeting Zionist military assets in the occupied territories.
The multi-layered operation aimed to punish aggression and assert Iran’s strength, the statement noted, stressing that the crushing strikes led to key strategic gains, including weakening the enemy’s defenses, boosting domestic unity and military morale, as well as gaining regional support.
“These operations targeted the enemy’s diverse and extensive military assets in the occupied territories of Al-Quds, once again proving that the brave soldiers of the homeland will never leave any aggression unanswered,” the IRGC said. 
In an attempt to aid the occupying entity, the U.S. directly entered the war by heavily bombing Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
In retaliation, Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles - in an operation dubbed Operation Tidings of Victory - at Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in West Asia.
“Even the arrival of the criminal and already-defeated U.S. military to the battlefield to rescue the helpless soldiers of the Zionist army could not change the equation of the battlefield or challenge Iran’s upper hand,” the IRGC said. 
“Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar under Operation Tidings of Victory once again conveyed Iran’s message of strength,” it added.
It further said that Iran’s crushing response shattered the enemy’s multi-layered and costly defense myth, intensified the survival crisis of the Zionist regime in the occupied territories, disproved the myth of the Zionist army’s invincibility, and inspired oppressed nations across the world to continue their resistance against global oppressors.
The 12-day war ended on Tuesday morning after the Israeli regime declared a unilateral ceasefire in a deal brokered by Washington. 
“It is worth noting that the initiator of the imposed war was the Zionist terrorist army, but its conclusion was written by the brave and proud sons of the nation in the Armed Forces—especially the IRGC Aerospace Force—in the 22nd wave of the Operation True Promise III,” the IRGC statement said.
“Their final blow was so devastating that ‘crying out for ceasefire’ emerged from the throat of the bloodthirsty Zionist regime and the delusional president of the United States.”
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi also said Iran’s armed forces brought the enemy’s war machine to a standstill by inflicting heavy losses on it.
Mousavi hailed the courageous armed forces of the Islamic Republic for mobilizing their strength and skills to deliver a “painful” response to the Israeli enemy’s aggression.
“Despite widespread media and propaganda blackout, the evidence of destruction left behind in the occupied territories, from the south to the north, indicates that critical military, strategic, and research centers have been reduced to rubble.” 
The top commander echoed what other Iranian military officials have clearly and categorically stated – the Islamic Republic has never and will never initiate a war.
“However, Iranian military forces will determine the outcome and conclusion of any war and aggression directed against the territorial integrity of their nation,” he added.
General Mousavi noted that apart from a direct U.S. involvement, the entire intelligence, logistical, and operational capabilities of Western countries, especially in the NATO military alliance, were fully at the service of the Israeli regime.
“Despite this, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on their domestic and military capabilities and the comprehensive support of the people, halted the enemy’s war machine by inflicting heavy losses on it,” he said.
“Throughout this war, the residents of the occupied territories found no safe haven, not even in shelters.”
Gen. Mousavi said the direct U.S. aggression against Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan early on Sunday was an attempt to save the Israeli regime from Iran’s missile and drone strikes. However, it was met with a powerful response from Iran’s armed forces, which targeted the sprawling American airbase in the region in al-Udeid near the Qatari capital.
“This exhibited that no desperate act can shake the ironclad will of the Iranian nation and Armed Forces in confronting aggressors,” he said.
“Subsequently, American leaders resorted to begging through some regional countries and actually surrendered to the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Gen. Mousavi also warned Israel and its supporters that Iranian forces are closely monitoring their movements.
“Should they repeat any strategic miscalculation, the aggressors will be hurled into the abyss of history,” he said.