Israel is not finished with Iran, its defence minister said Sunday, as he also warned Tehran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah to hold fire in any resumption of war.
“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political life, has repeatedly threatened new strikes against Iran in recent weeks.
Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons — alongside other grave efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger,” Katz said. “We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if the terrorist organisation Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows,” Katz said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz renewed charges that Iran — attacked twice since last year in major Israeli-US bombing campaigns — is pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran denies. But it remains unclear if he has the support of US President Donald Trump, his close ally, who suffered a major rebuke from voters in elections on Tuesday, in part over anger against the war.
Netanyahu suffered losses in the October 27 election, with his rival Gadi Eisenkot tasked with forming a new government.
“We may argue and we may disagree, but when the security of the state is at stake, we must know how to rise above our disputes,” said Katz, who was speaking at a ceremony for Israeli troops who died in a 1956 attack on Egypt.
