Defense Minister, Israel Katz, met on Monday, for the first time, with the IDF General Staff Forum, chaired by Chief of Staff, Major General Herzi Halevi.
At the beginning of his speech, Katz sought to clarify that dealing with Iran is one of the main issues on his agenda. "I am happy to meet with the forum. I accepted and accept my appointment as Minister of Defense with utmost seriousness, with an understanding of the level of responsibility required and a willingness to act together to achieve the goals. The clear priority of this government is the issue of Iran – to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons."
According to Katz, "Because of the severe blows we inflicted on Hezbollah and the crushing blow we inflicted on Iran, we are now in a situation where Iran is more exposed today than ever, both practically and psychologically, and that is no less important here. Today there is a broad national and systemic consensus that the Iranian nuclear program must be thwarted. There is also an understanding that this is doable – not only from a security perspective, but also from the political."
“Today we can thwart and remove the threat of annihilation over the State of Israel. We have an opportunity and you need to implement our absolute ability to carry it out. I believe, and I am sure that you will also know how to do it, so that together we can succeed," he added.
The Defense Minister called for dealing with Iran's affiliates as well. "We will also curb the Iranian aggression against Israel, both directly and through its terrorist proxy organizations. We must cut down this ability from the outset. The warning and powerful actions carried out by the IDF and the security establishment against Hezbollah is a picture of victory and we must continue the offensive attacks, in order to impair Hezbollah's abilities to realize its fruits of victory."
Katz emphasized that "there will be no cease-fire and no respite in Lebanon. We will continue to hit Hezbollah with full force until the goals of war have been achieved. Israel will not agree to any agreement that does not guarantee Israel's own right to enforce and prevent terrorism, achieving the goals of the war in Lebanon, disarming Hezbollah and pushing them over the Litani river, and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes."
On the southern front, Katz said: "Regarding Gaza, first priority is the issue of the hostages, as I also said as foreign minister when I took office. This is the most important moral goal of the security forces, which I head as representative of the Israeli government. We will do everything we can to bring them home and ensure the defeat of Hamas."