Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Thursday his country was prepared to relaunch its military campaign against Iran if needed, “with even greater force”. The US launched deadly air strikes against Iran early Thursday, hours after President Donald Trump said Tehran’s recent attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signalled the end of the peace deal. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
“The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again… in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary,” Katz said at a military ceremony.
“If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force,” he added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had been weakened by the two previous military campaigns Israel launched against it.
But he also acknowledged that the conflict was not yet over.
“The Iranian axis is weaker than ever before, while Israel is stronger than ever before,” he said.
“We proved that the long arm of the Israeli Air Force can reach anywhere, from Yemen to Iran. Yet we must also acknowledge that the campaign is not over.”
Other developments:
The US military launched fresh air strikes against Iran hours after US President Donald Trump said that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was “over”.
• The funeral procession of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued as it made its way through the holy cities of Iraq, home to some of the Shiite faith’s most sacred shrines.
• PM Netanyahu criticised Trump’s willingness to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets, saying it would “destroy” the balance of power in the Middle East.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
