Overview
- Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel’s mission against Iran remains unfinished and accused Tehran of trying to renew efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
- Katz warned that Lebanon-based Hezbollah would face “extremely severe blows” if it joined any attack on Israel and said Israeli forces will not leave security zones in Gaza, Lebanon or Syria.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly threatened fresh strikes on Iran in recent weeks, and Israeli media reported that a pre-election Mossad operation against Iran was halted after the United States learned of it.
- It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would back another Israeli campaign, a question made more acute by his political setbacks in the Nov. 3 US midterm elections.
- The remarks come against a longer pattern of confrontation that began with US‑Israel strikes on Iranian sites in February 2026 and followed a fragile ceasefire and later resumption of hostilities, leaving regional escalation and civilian risk on the table.