Israeli Defense Minister: The Fight Against Iran Is Not Over

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on 8 November that Israel has not yet finished its fight against Iran, and warned Tehran's ally, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, to stay out if clashes resume. The statement comes as Israel undergoes a political transition after elections, and it is unclear whether the prime minister will pursue new strikes on Iran.

Katz repeated his claim that Iran is trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this. Since last year Iran has twice been attacked in large-scale Israeli and US bombing campaigns. "As far as Iran is concerned, the mission is still not complete," the minister said, adding that Iran is trying to restore its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, putting Israel at real risk.

Warning to Hezbollah

The minister said Israel will not withdraw from security zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria. If Hezbollah, which Katz called a terrorist organization, joins Iran in attacking Israel, it will suffer extremely heavy blows, he said. Israel has attacked the Gaza Strip and invaded Lebanon after Hezbollah fired on Israel in solidarity with Iran. It has also crossed the previous ceasefire line to occupy part of Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2024.

Political situation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened new strikes on Iran in recent weeks. It is unclear whether he has the backing of US President Donald Trump, whose Republicans lost the US midterm elections on Tuesday, partly due to voter anger over the war. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu and the Mossad intelligence service tried to stage an operation against Iran in late October, before the Israeli election, but the US found out and stopped it.

Netanyahu lost the 27 October election, and opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot has been given the first chance to form a governing coalition. Eisenkot has warned the military that Netanyahu has no mandate and that it should not fight for his "political needs", although the former army chief has largely supported Netanyahu's war decisions.

Speaking at a ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed in the 1956 attack on Egypt, Katz urged that disputes be set aside in the name of national security.