Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Sunday that his country has not yet accomplished its mission in Iran, again accusing Tehran of seeking to possess a nuclear weapon, which the Islamic Republic has always denied.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 12:51

“With regard to Iran, the mission is not yet accomplished,” Katz said.

He added, "Iran is trying to resume its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, along with other dangerous efforts that expose the State of Israel to real danger," in a speech he delivered during a ceremony commemorating the Israeli soldiers who were killed in the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956.

The Hebrew state launched two wars against Iran, the first in June 2025 that lasted 12 days, and the second in partnership with the United States in February 2026, which caused the outbreak of a large-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Over the past few weeks, outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened new strikes against Iran. According to Israeli media reports, these threats, which coincided with the approaching legislative elections on October 27, sparked disagreements between Netanyahu and Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who refused to launch such strikes at this time.

It is unclear whether US President Donald Trump is also ready to launch new strikes on Iran, especially after the US midterm elections in which his Republican Party suffered a major loss. American officials, led by Trump, confirmed that the war on Iran and its repercussions were a major reason for this electoral defeat.

On Friday, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu and the Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad) attempted to carry out a strike against Iran on the eve of the Knesset elections, but Washington learned of this and stopped the operation.

In his speech, Katz reiterated that Israel will not withdraw from the areas it occupies in the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon and southern Syria, threatening Hezbollah with harsh strikes if it attacks the Hebrew state.

"We will not withdraw from the security areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if the Hezbollah terrorist organization chooses to join Iran in attacking Israel, it will receive very severe blows," he said.

After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel fought wars on several fronts in the region, especially in the Gaza Strip, and with Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The war caused the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza and massive destruction in the Strip. Israel also reoccupied areas of southern Lebanon, where it continues to carry out occasional strikes and bombings of homes and buildings, in addition to facilities it says belong to Hezbollah.

In Syria, Israel crossed the disengagement line after the 1973 war, and occupied new parts of the Golan region that were under Syrian sovereignty, following the overthrow of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

In the legislative elections, Netanyahu did not obtain a majority that would qualify him to return to the premiership. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Saturday night that he would officially assign Netanyahu's opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, to form a new government on Sunday.

Eisenkot, a former chief of staff, had warned the army that Netanyahu did not have a mandate to launch a new war, stressing that the army should not launch attacks to meet the “political needs” of the outgoing prime minister.

However, Eisenkot largely supported Netanyahu's decisions regarding the war.

"We may disagree and we may argue, but when the state's security is at stake, we must know how to rise above our differences," Katz said.

© 2026 AFP

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