Our mission in Iran is not over yet, warns Israel's defence minister

Israel's military campaign against Iran is not over yet, the country's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He also warned Hezbollah, Iran's ally and the armed group in Lebanon, to stay out of any conflict if war breaks out again.

Speaking on Sunday (8 November), Katz alleged that Iran has resumed its effort to build nuclear weapons even after two major rounds of strikes by Israel and the United States last year. Iran has consistently denied the allegation.

Katz said: "Our mission in Iran is not over yet. The country is trying to restart its effort to acquire nuclear weapons. Alongside that, it is carrying out certain serious activities that pose a real threat to Israel."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been threatening fresh strikes against Iran in recent weeks. Whether he will have the support of US President Donald Trump on this remains unclear.

Israel's Channel 12 reported on Friday that Netanyahu and Israel's intelligence agency Mossad had tried to launch an operation against Iran before the 27 October election, but the United States stopped the initiative after learning of it.

Israel has been conducting military operations on multiple fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, since Hamas's unprecedented attack on 7 October 2023. After the fall of Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad, Israel has also seized part of Syrian territory.

Katz said Israel would not withdraw its forces from the security zones it has established in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

He warned that if Hezbollah joins Iran in attacking Israel, it will face severe consequences.

Notably, Netanyahu's coalition suffered losses in the 27 October election. His rival Gadi Eisenkot has been given the task of forming a new government.

Eisenkot has warned that the Israeli army should not be dragged into war for Netanyahu's political interests.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival and leader of the Yashar party, to form the new government. But after a closely fought election in which neither side won a majority, Eisenkot's path to power is far from straightforward.