Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a conference at Binyanei HaUma (Jerusalem International Convention Center) in Jerusalem, June 17, 2026. (Photo by Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
Israel’s defense minister says Washington is preventing renewed military action against Iran, despite Israeli readiness.
By World Israel News Staff
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel is prepared to renew direct military action against Iran but is currently being restrained by the Trump administration—an unusually candid assessment of the strategic differences between Jerusalem and Washington as tensions with Tehran remain high.
Speaking to Channel 14 News ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, Katz suggested that the Israeli premier would press the U.S. administration to support a return to direct military operations against the Islamic Republic.
According to Katz, Israel believes additional military action may become necessary, but “the US does not approve” of such a move at this stage.
;The defense minister emphasized that Israel’s position has not changed and warned that any future Iranian attack would trigger a forceful response.
Israel has “made it very clear” that should Iran fire upon Israel, the Jewish state will retaliate “with all our might.”
Katz added that the Israel Defense Forces remain fully prepared for such a scenario.
The Israeli military is “prepared to strike Iran,” he said.
In one of the interview’s most notable remarks, Katz stated that American fighter aircraft operating from Israel are participating in strikes against Iranian targets. If accurate, the comments would amount to a significant public acknowledgment of U.S. military operations being launched from Israeli territory.
;Katz argued that Tehran is aware of the American military presence in Israel but has so far refrained from responding to Israel in the same manner that it has targeted other countries hosting U.S. military assets.
The remarks come as Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against American military facilities in several countries across the region during the current escalation. Tehran has frequently justified those attacks by arguing that the host nations were facilitating U.S. military operations.
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