Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday renewed his threat to strike Iranian energy facilities if Tehran launches an attack on Israel.
Katz issued the threat in a recorded video marking the Jewish New Year, which begins Friday, a week after making a similar warning to Iran.
اضافة اعلان
Last week, Katz said Iran was facing “severe and suffocating economic pressure” from the United States.
Washington has imposed economic pressure on Tehran as the two sides exchange military strikes amid a deadlock in negotiations, largely due to disagreements over navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for energy and commodities.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, which Tehran said resulted in more than 3,000 deaths. Iran responded with attacks that killed Americans and Israelis.
“Given the possibility that Iran may decide to act against Israel, I reiterate my warning to the Iranian leadership,” Katz said.
“Any attack on Israel, for any reason and from any location, will be met with a strong response—one that will inflict severe damage on Iran, far greater than anything it has suffered so far,” he warned.
“This includes strikes against vital energy facilities,” he added.
He continued: “In accordance with the directives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my own instructions, the military is prepared to carry out this mission.”
Addressing the Iranian people, Katz said: “We will meet next year in Tehran, which will have been liberated from oppression and tyranny,” according to his remarks.
Since June 2025, Israel has launched two wars against Iran, while Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations on both occasions, primarily focusing on Iran’s nuclear program.
Washington and Israel accuse Tehran of operating nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel and other regional countries allied with the United States. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and that it poses no threat to other countries.
Israel, which occupies Palestinian territories as well as areas of Lebanon and Syria, is considered the only country in the region believed to possess a nuclear weapons arsenal. Israel has never officially acknowledged its nuclear arsenal, and it is not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
Source: Anadolu Agency
