Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that every dollar reaching Iran becomes ballistic missiles, drones in Lebanon, rockets in Gaza, and UAVs in Yemen, arming Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. He described the economic campaign against Tehran as one of the most important arenas for Israel's security.
Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Thursday that Israel views the campaign to block financial flows to Iran as a key security front, linking Iranian funding directly to the arming of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Speaking at an event, Katz stated explicitly that 'every dollar that enters the ayatollahs’ coffers becomes a ballistic missile in Iran, a drone in Lebanon, a rocket in Gaza, and a UAV in Yemen.'
The remarks, reported by the Abu Ali Express channel, come as Israel conducts an ongoing declared economic campaign against Iran, while also facing public criticism that the US is effectively funneling money to the Iranian regime via negotiations and sanctions relief. As The Zioneer reported earlier on Thursday, Katz had already made parallel statements at a conference on economic warfare, framing the struggle against Iranian financing as vital to preventing weapons from reaching Tehran's regional proxies.
Katz did not provide specifics on operational measures or any new actions against Iranian financial networks, instead restating Israel's strategic posture. The remarks are part of a broader thread of Israeli official and analyst warnings that any emerging US-Iran agreement releasing frozen assets would enable Hezbollah and other proxies to rearm — warnings The Zioneer has covered since mid-June. Katz's latest comments reaffirm the government's insistence that economic pressure on Iran is a central pillar of Israeli defense strategy.
2 developments
- DevelopingIsrael's Katz: Campaign against Iran far from over; IDF ready to strike Iran with great force
- DevelopingMinister Katz hails US-Israel joint campaign against Iran as 'dramatic achievement'
- StrongNetanyahu: Israel inflicted up to $1 trillion in damage to Iran's economy, fight against nukes not over
- DevelopingIsrael Katz warns Hezbollah: every attack on the north will draw a strike on Beirut's Dahiyeh
Source and signal
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