Katz: "Iran likes to attack on holidays, we are prepared"

Minister of Defense Israel Katz addressed the tension between the USA and Iran this morning (Wednesday), saying at the "Time of Decision: Democracy and Society" conference that the Islamic Republic "likes to attack on holidays. We are prepared."

Katz was asked about the fear that the exchange of blows between Washington and Tehran would spill over into Israel, especially ahead of the Jewish High Holidays. He explained: "The Prime Minister and I are in daily monitoring, including with the IDF, sometimes in the middle of the night with the red phone. We do not take any information lightly. We do not want to be surprised, we are prepared. One must understand: the IDF, including the Air Force, is prepared to strike in Iran. If they attack us, we will respond with great force without depending on anyone."

"At the moment, we are allowing the Americans to strike because of their interests in Hormuz and energy," he added. "In the meantime, they are hitting the entire region except for us. But there is a probability that they will attack. We are ready for this in defense. They like to attack on Jewish holidays because they are Jew-haters, pay attention to many things that happened in the past. But we are prepared in defense and in offense in coordination with the USA. However, there are things like an attack on Israel that we will not accept. If they attack because of Lebanon, because of Judea and Samaria, because of Gaza, because they feel like it - our planes are ready to take off."

Regarding the possibility that Iran would renew the nuclear program, the Minister of Defense said that it was thwarted during Operation "With a Lion's Cub". According to him, "We destroyed it, the entire production process. There was an active program, we destroyed it. President Donald Trump joined at the end with the B2 bunker-buster bombs in Fordo, and on the way in another place. Since then, the nuclear program has not been renewed, and we are monitoring these things. Now we need to ensure that they do not have the ability to return to this thing."

"The policy is unequivocal: we will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, and if such a thing happens - by the way, President Donald Trump also says this - then it is likely that we will strike together. In any case, we are responsible for the security of the State of Israel. We removed an existential threat from Iran, we liquidated Khamenei, we thwarted their strategic capabilities and set them back decades. Also in the civilian sphere, we only gained - yes, there were casualties on the home front, but when you look at the balance, there could have been many more. We neutralized their firing capability, against Iran we gained a huge profit. Our most acute enemy was beaten and in the balance of power is much weaker than us."

Later, Katz was asked about nationalist crime in Judea and Samaria, and was asked about the phrase "Jewish terror". "There is no terror, I canceled this term. Terror is someone who acts to commit terror against the State of Israel," he determined. "This is violence. I do not issue arrest warrants in Kaplan or in Judea and Samaria. An administrative arrest warrant is a draconian measure. There is no terror. If there is terror - then it will be treated as terror. By the way, whoever came and murdered is sitting in prison."