The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, led by MK Yuli Edelstein, convened behind closed doors today at the Kirya military compound in Tel Aviv. Defense Minister Yisroel Katz joined the session and delivered a comprehensive update on the current state of Israel’s military campaigns across Gaza, the northern front, and in the Iranian sphere.
Minister Katz disclosed that Iran had been preparing to initiate a major assault, but Israel acted first to prevent it. “The Iranians planned to strike first and launch between 400 to 500 missiles in the opening strike. If we hadn’t acted first, it would have been much harder for us. Our biggest challenge was opening the skies and neutralizing Iran’s air defense systems. We controlled the skies and were able to continue.”
He continued, explaining how Israel differentiated between military targets. “During the war, we made a distinction and targeted more members of the Revolutionary Guards than the Iranian military. When we wanted to eliminate Khamenei, he hid.”
Katz reported that Israel’s military objectives in Iran had been fully realized and pointed to American assistance in the final stages. “We met 100% of the operational objectives in Iran, and the Americans helped a lot in the end,” he said. With a touch of irony, he added, “If Trump had woken up after a quarter of an hour, the strike this morning would have been even stronger.”
Outlining Israel’s future approach to the Iranian nuclear threat, Katz described a plan modeled on strategies previously used in Lebanon. “Iran no longer has the ability to produce nuclear weapons. I instructed the IDF to prepare an enforcement plan in cooperation with the Americans, based on the Lebanese model, but much more comprehensive, to enforce any attempt to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.”
He also mentioned an upcoming diplomatic mission by Prime Minister Netanyahu to coordinate policy with Washington. “Netanyahu will fly to the U.S. to build agreements with the Americans on Iran. Right now, this is just a ceasefire. We must remember that Trump canceled the central sanction on Iran selling oil to the Chinese, and as a result, Iran could become stronger again.”
Responding to concerns from Knesset members about Gaza, Katz dismissed reports of interference from legal authorities as baseless. “The military advocate is not harming the fighting. These are just false reports.” Some committee members had criticized the IDF’s limited ground movement since the Iran operation began, expressing frustration that legal constraints were forcing Israel to supply humanitarian aid to Hamas-controlled areas.
Later, Katz posted on X that he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, expressing appreciation for Washington’s support and reiterating Israel’s commitment to the truce. “I spoke moments ago with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. I thanked him for President Donald Trump’s bold decision to act with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat. The Secretary praised Israel and the IDF for the historic achievements made. I emphasized that Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does. We agreed to deepen the close U.S.-Israel security cooperation,” Katz wrote.
{Matzav.com Israel}