Posted on 06/24/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Yuli Edelstein, held a closed session today at the Kirya military headquarters, with the participation of Defense Minister Israel Katz.
During the meeting, an extensive briefing was given on the status of the war in Gaza, on the northern border, and in the Iranian theater.
The Defense Minister revealed that Iran had planned a surprise attack, and Israel preempted it. "The Iranians planned to strike first and launch between 400 to 500 missiles in the opening strike. If we hadn’t acted first, it would have been much harder for us. Our biggest challenge was opening the skies and neutralizing Iran's air defense systems. We controlled the skies and were able to continue."
He added, "During the war, we made a distinction and targeted more members of the Revolutionary Guards than the Iranian military. When we wanted to eliminate Khamenei, he hid."
"We met 100% of the operational objectives in Iran, and the Americans helped a lot in the end," he said, adding humorously, "If Trump had woken up after a quarter of an hour, the strike this morning would have been even stronger."
Ka'atz also referred to the long-term plan against Iran's nuclear program. "Iran no longer has the ability to produce nuclear weapons. I instructed the IDF to prepare an enforcement plan in cooperation with the Americans, based on the Lebanese model, but much more comprehensive, to enforce any attempt to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles."
He further noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to the United States to influence the shaping of a nuclear deal. "Netanyahu will fly to the U.S. to build agreements with the Americans on Iran. Right now, this is just a ceasefire. We must remember that Trump canceled the central sanction on Iran selling oil to the Chinese, and as a result, Iran could become stronger again."
Ka'atz also addressed the situation in Gaza, responding to claims made by members of the Knesset: "The military advocate is not harming the fighting. These are just false reports." Committee members raised criticism that "since the beginning of the campaign against Iran, IDF soldiers in Gaza are in a static position, and at the same time, the legal adviser and military advocate are forcing us to supply food and fuel to areas where Hamas is located."
Separately, Katz wrote on X that he spoke with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and pledged that Israel would abide by the ceasefire agreement as long as Iran does.
"I spoke moments ago with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. I thanked him for President Donald Trump's bold decision to act with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat. The Secretary praised Israel and the IDF for the historic achievements made. I emphasized that Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does. We agreed to deepen the close U.S.-Israel security cooperation," Katz wrote.