Israel Katz

Israel Warns 'Tehran Will Burn' after Wave of Missile Fire

Israel's defense minister warned Saturday that "Tehran will burn" and its residents pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians. "The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they, especially the residents of Tehran, will pay a heavy ...

Israel Says to Block Gaza-Bound Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg

Israel on Sunday ordered the military to stop a humanitarian ship carrying activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, breaking the blockade of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. "I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement from ...

Israel Threatens Iran With the Same Fate as Hamas and Hezbollah

Israel will do to Iran what it has done to Hamas in Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday, days after an attack on Ben Gurion Airport by Iran-backed Houthis. "I warn... Iranian leaders who finance, arm, and exploit the Houthi terrorist organization: the proxy system is terminated, and the axis of evil has collapsed," Katz said in a ...

Israel Threatens Action if Syrian Regime Fails to Shield Druze Minority

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday that Israel will respond forcefully if Syria's Islamist-led government fails to protect the Druze minority, after two days of deadly sectarian clashes near Damascus. "Should the attacks on the Druze resume and the Syrian regime fail to prevent them, Israel will respond with significant force," Katz ...

Israeli Troops Seizing 'Large Areas' in Gaza, Expanding Buffer Zones

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants in a bid to force Hamas to release hostages. "Large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated," Katz said during a visit ...

Israel: Document Reveals Iran's Support for October 7 Attack

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed on Sunday a communication between Iran and Mohammed Al-Deif, the General Commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, as well as Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, confirming "Iran's support for the October 7, 2023, plan." During a visit to the intelligence unit in the "Amshot" division on Sunday, ...

Israel Army Retrieves Body Of One Hostage in Gaza

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that its troops had recovered the body of a hostage in Gaza and brought it back to Israel following a "complex and difficult operation". In a statement, the military said: "The troops located and recovered the body of hostage Youssef al-Zayadna from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip ...

Israel Accuses Hezbollah of Violating Ceasefire Terms

Israeli Defense Minister Israël Katz accused Hezbollah on Sunday of not meeting the terms of a ceasefire, warning that if the militants continued to breach the deal, Israel would "be forced to act". Katz issued his warning after visiting the military's northern command, and it followed a similar accusation against Israel by Hezbollah chief Naim ...

Israel Acknowledges It Killed Ex-Hamas Leader Haniyeh in Tehran

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledged that Tel Aviv had killed former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year, as he warned the military would "decapitate" the leadership of Yemen's Huthi rebels. "We will strike hard at the Huthis... and decapitate their leadership -- just as we did with Haniyeh, ...

Israeli Minister Declares Significant Progress in Gaza Hostage Negotiations

Israeli negotiators have "not been this close to an agreement" for the release of hostages in Gaza since the November 2023 truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday. "We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the previous deal," Katz told members of the Israeli parliament's ...

Israel Defense Minister Vows No Let-Up in War on Hezbollah

Israel's new Defense minister told senior military commanders Wednesday there would be no easing-up in the war against Hezbollah as he toured the northern border with Lebanon. "We will make no ceasefires, we will not take our foot off the pedal, and we will not allow any arrangement that does not include the achievement of our war objectives," ...

Israeli Ministers Send Mixed Signals over a Lebanon Ceasefire

Israeli leaders sent mixed signals on the possibility of a ceasefire with Lebanon on Monday, with Defense Minister Israel Katz seeming to contradict comments by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Saar, who replaced Katz at the foreign ministry this week, told journalists there had been progress towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, where war has raged for ...