Iran’s Nuclear Vulnerability Exposed: Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Potential Strikes – Israel News

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Attacking Iran’s Nuclear Program

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the current diplomatic, operational, and tactical situation makes it an optimal time to attack Iran’s nuclear program. Here are the key points:

Superiority of Israeli Air Force

Katz highlighted that two previous Israeli strikes on Iran this year, which were counter-attacks following massive Iranian attacks on April 13-14 and October 1, have demonstrated the superiority of the Israeli Air Force over Iran’s advanced air defense systems.

National Consensus

There is a broad consensus within Israel’s national and defense establishment that the Iranian nuclear program must be thwarted. Katz emphasized that achieving this goal is deemed possible both on security and diplomatic fronts.

Previous Strike Decisions

Despite calls from officials, including former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, to strike Iran’s nuclear program on October 26, the Israeli Air Force was instead ordered to target about 20 ballistic missile production and air defense sites in Iran.

Readiness to Strike

Katz’s office has not confirmed whether Israel is fully ready to strike Iran’s nuclear program, given the government’s decision not to do so on October 26.

No Ceasefire with Hezbollah

Katz also stated that there will be no ceasefire with Hezbollah unless the group agrees to remain north of the Litani River in Lebanon. Israel must also have the right to enforce this commitment with military force and to attack any attempts to smuggle new weapons to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s Rocket Arsenal

The IDF has been battling weapon smuggling attempts focused on Syria, but this effort began too late to prevent Hezbollah from building a rocket arsenal of around 150,000 rockets.