Israel defence minister says 'mission not complete' on Iran

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel is not finished with Iran, its defence minister said Sunday, as he also warned Hezbollah to hold fire in any resumption of war.

Defence Minister Israel Katz renewed charges that Iran – attacked twice since last year in major Israeli-US bombing campaigns – is pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran denies.

“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons – alongside other grave efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger,” Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political life, has repeatedly threatened new strikes against Iran in recent weeks.

But it remains unclear if he has the support of US President Donald Trump, his close ally, who suffered a major rebuke from voters in elections on Tuesday, in part over anger against the war.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that Netanyahu and the Mossad intelligence service attempted an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel’s own October 27 election but that the United States found out and stopped it.

“We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if the terrorist organisation Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows,” Katz said.

Netanyahu suffered losses in the October 27 election, with his rival Gadi Eisenkot tasked with forming a new government.

Eisenkot has warned Israel’s military that Netanyahu has no mandate and that it should not go to war for his “political needs”, although the former army chief has largely supported Netanyahu’s war decisions.

“We may argue and we may disagree, but when the security of the state is at stake, we must know how to rise above our disputes,” said Katz, who was speaking at a ceremony for Israeli troops who died in a 1956 attack on Egypt.