Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday evening that Israel has eliminated Iran's nuclear program and removed the existential threat over its citizens. Katz claimed the elimination of Supreme Leader Khamenei and most of Iran's top leadership, and ordered the IDF to prepare for an independent 'blue-and-white' strike in Iran at any required time. 'The campaign is not over yet,' he said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a situation assessment Thursday evening in which he declared that Israel has eliminated Iran's nuclear program and removed the existential threat over Israeli citizens. Katz claimed the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and most of the top leadership of the Iranian regime, as well as severe damage to Iran's strategic capabilities. He ordered the IDF to prepare for an independent 'blue-and-white' (Israeli) strike in Iran at any required time. 'The campaign is not over yet,' Katz said.
The Zioneer first reported Katz's remarks at 19:59 Jerusalem. The full text of the statement, as circulated, adds that the IDF must be prepared to act independently without specifying a timeline for a potential strike. The thread began with the initial dispatch at 19:58 Jerusalem, noting the remarks came during a security assessment marking 1,000 days since the war began, and included a briefing that 83% of tunnels in Gaza's yellow-line area have been destroyed. A second version of the story, also published at 19:58 Jerusalem, focused on Katz's explicit call for readiness to strike 'at any time required', deepening the public codename campaign Katz launched in recent weeks.
Katz's claims echo similar statements by Prime Minister Netanyahu and US Vice President Vance in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported, Netanyahu told the IDF officer course graduation on Thursday June 25 that Israel has removed the immediate existential threat from Iran's nuclear program. Earlier, on Thursday June 18, Vance stated that Iran's nuclear program has been destroyed and that Tehran retains no uranium enrichment capability. Katz himself stated in a Channel 14 interview on June 18 that Israel has eliminated Iran's nuclear program and must ensure it does not return, adding that Israel coordinated with Washington and received U.S. praise.
The statements are official Israeli government claims; the actual status of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the fate of its leadership remain unverified by independent sources. No independent confirmation of Khamenei's elimination or the full destruction of Iran's nuclear program has been published.
3 developments
- DevelopingKatz: Iran's nuclear program eliminated, must ensure it does not return
- StrongNetanyahu: Israel eliminated nuclear threat, will respond forcefully if Iran attacks
- StrongDefense Minister Katz: IDF ordered to prepare for 'Operation White-Blue' in Iran
- DevelopingKatz says Israel thwarted Iran's nuclear program
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