TEL AVIV—Defense Minister Israel Katz told lawmakers on Tuesday evening that Israel and the United States are prepared to resume strikes on Iran if the regime attempts to rebuild its nuclear or ballistic missile programs, according to two officials familiar with the briefing.
Katz delivered the classified update to members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. The meeting came one day after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. Both countries, according to Katz, believe diplomacy with Tehran is unlikely to succeed and are prepared to enforce the ceasefire through coordinated military pressure if Iran moves to reconstitute its strategic capabilities.
Boaz Bismuth, a member of the committee who attended the briefing, declined to confirm details but said Israel and the United States “are in full agreement” about the need to prevent the Iranians from rebuilding their nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“If they have the bad idea, the fantasy, of rebuilding, then I believe there will also be a restart in damaging their programs,” he said. “A nuclear Iran should be not only a fantasy, but in the domain of science fiction.”
Katz said the United States supports Israel’s efforts to prevent Iran from accessing key nuclear infrastructure and is cooperating on enforcement. The coordinated stance, he said, includes monitoring sensitive locations such as the Fordow enrichment facility and known missile depots.
President Donald Trump reinforced that message Wednesday during a NATO summit in the Netherlands. He said Iran no longer has a nuclear program and warned that any attempt to revive it would prompt another wave of U.S. strikes—though he questioned whether Iran is capable of doing so in the short term.
“Sure,” Trump answered after a reporter asked whether he would be willing to “strike again” should Iran attempt to “rebuild” its program. “But I’m not going to have to worry about that. It’s gone for years, years. Very tough to rebuild.”
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that the U.S. strikes on Fordow had rendered the site inoperable and that Israeli strikes on other parts of the nuclear infrastructure had “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.”
Representatives for Netanyahu and Katz declined to comment.
Katz told lawmakers that Israeli and U.S. forces are actively monitoring multiple components of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and are prepared to act if any rebuilding begins. One focal point, he said, is an estimated 400 kilograms of uranium that remains in Iran, enriched to 60 percent, near the level used for nuclear weapons. Israeli forces would strike if Iranian personnel attempted to approach or move the stockpile. Katz did not say where it is located.
Bismuth, who belongs to the ruling Likud party, said Israeli officials believe the uranium stockpile is not an immediate threat.
“Those who should know are confident … that Iran can’t build a bomb right now,” he said.
Another key area of focus, Katz said, is Iran’s remaining stockpile of roughly 800 ballistic missiles, which are stored in a heavily bombed area that would require major reconstruction to access. Like the uranium, the missiles are part of a broader network of strategic assets that Israel and the United States are watching closely for signs of renewed activity that could trigger preemptive action.
Katz said Israel has adopted a similar enforcement posture in Iran as it did following a U.S.-brokered November ceasefire with Hezbollah. After that agreement, the Israeli military began using persistent aerial surveillance and precision strikes to target operatives near the Lebanese border suspected of planning attacks or gathering intelligence. He described the policy as a “do-not-approach” perimeter backed by real-time intelligence and airpower.
Katz also disclosed that Israeli drones operated out of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria during the campaign. While Israeli jets launched from within the country, drones were flown from forward positions due to range limitations, allowing near-constant coverage of Iranian military infrastructure. The use of those U.S. bases has not been confirmed publicly,
Katz said Israel’s next operational focus may be the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen. The Houthis launched multiple missiles and drones at Israel during the war, and Katz said he has directed the military to draft plans to neutralize the threat.
While the ceasefire halted open hostilities, it left Iran’s nuclear ambitions unresolved. Trump said Wednesday the United States would meet with Iranian officials next week, but Israeli officials remain skeptical.
Bismuth said Israel would back a diplomatic agreement only if it banned uranium enrichment and dismantled all military nuclear infrastructure.
“If we can have an agreement in which Iran will have zero enrichment and abandon its military nuclear dream, then we’re in favor,” he said. “Are we expecting that? No.”
Katz also told lawmakers the Israeli government believes the strikes have weakened Iran’s leadership and that internal unrest may grow in the weeks ahead. While Israel is not calling for regime change, Katz said the end of the campaign could leave the ruling mullahs vulnerable to being overthrown.
“The Iranian people deserve a better life,” Bismuth said, adding that the strikes had exposed the corruption and weakness of the regime. “It puts more light on the darkness,” he said. “When people see what this regime has done—against its own people and against the world—it becomes harder for them to stay silent.”
Read the full article here
