Israel has warned that its military campaign against Iran is far from over, with Defence Minister Israel Katz declaring that the mission is “still not complete” and accusing Tehran of attempting to revive its nuclear weapons programme.
The warning comes amid growing uncertainty over whether the fragile ceasefire between Israel, the US and Iran will hold, with Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly threatening further strikes and US President Trump reportedly weighing the prospect of renewed military action alongside diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Speaking at a ceremony on Sunday commemorating Israeli soldiers killed during the 1956 Sinai campaign, Katz said Iran continued to pose a serious threat despite the major Israeli-American bombing operations carried out against the country.
“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,” he said.
Tehran has consistently denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
Katz also issued a direct warning to Hezbollah, saying it would face devastating consequences if it joined any renewed Iranian attack against Israel.
“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.
Israel has maintained military positions in parts of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, insisting that its presence is necessary to prevent further attacks against its communities.
“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 went on.
Trump claimed in June that American strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran's nuclear facilities, repeatedly insisting that Tehran would never be allowed to obtain an atomic weapon.
However, the president has since left open the possibility of further military action if negotiations fail to produce an agreement.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, he said a return to full-scale war was “highly unlikely”, but made clear that the option remained on the table.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” he said.
“The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary.”
However, he also warned: “I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don't know how hard I hit them.”
Trump said US forces remained prepared for further action.
“We're ready for it. I've got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They're fully locked and loaded.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Friday that Netanyahu and the Mossad attempted to organise an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel's October 27 election, but that Washington discovered the plan and intervened to stop it.
Diplomatic efforts are continuing, with Qatar attempting to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Friday: “We will never have a perfect peace deal, but you can't wait for that perfect moment.”
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down suggestions that an agreement was imminent, saying: “Right now, it hasn't been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”
Washington has also announced a new initiative to restrict Iran's ability to transport weapons and military technology across its borders.
US Central Command has established Task Force Iron Gate, which will target the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said: “The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea.”
He added: “Strengthening Centcom's collaboration with US inter-agency partners will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish its military.”
Iran dismissed the initiative as “wordplay”, with a statement to the semi-official Fars news agency rejecting Washington's latest attempt to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
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