Iran campaign ‘far from over’: Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz
Katz warns Iran's nuclear drive remains an active threat and cautions Hezbollah, as Netanyahu faces domestic political pressure
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said on Sunday (November 8) that the campaign against Iran is far from over, reported AFP. He warned Hezbollah to stay out of any renewed fighting and repeated charges that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons, a claim Iran denies.
“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. 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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fighting for his political survival, has repeatedly threatened fresh strikes on Iran. It is unclear whether he still has the backing of his close ally, US President Donald Trump, who was rebuked by voters in Tuesday’s elections, partly over anger at the war.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that Netanyahu and the Mossad spy agency tried to launch an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel’s October 27 election, but Washington stopped it.
Also read: As Netanyahu falters, Modi’s Israel bet faces its reckoning
The conflict has spread across several fronts since Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza backed by Iran, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to ruins, invaded Lebanon after Hezbollah joined the fight, and moved into part of Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Israel won't budge: Katz
Katz also made it clear that Israel will hold its positions: “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,” he said.
Netanyahu lost ground in the October 27 election, and rival Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming a government. Eisenkot, a former army chief, has warned the military that Netanyahu lacks a mandate and should not wage war for his “political needs,” though he has largely backed the prime minister’s war decisions.
“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,” Katz said at a ceremony honouring troops killed in a 1956 attack on Egypt.