Overview

• Officials said the late-Tuesday launch succeeded and was announced Wednesday as a strategic cornerstone for intelligence gathering.
• Maj. Gen. Amir Baram said Ofek 19 enables persistent, simultaneous monitoring of any point across the Middle East.
• Defense Minister Israel Katz framed the launch as a message that Israel is watching its enemies at all times.
• Built by Israel Aerospace Industries, the satellite extends a decades-old program that places Israel among the few nations with high‑resolution military imaging.
• The military did not disclose the launch site, and officials cited the earlier collection of roughly 12,000 satellite images over Iran during a 12‑day war to illustrate operational use.