Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that the caretaker government doesn’t need approval of the “opposition” to launch attacks in any of Israel’s various wars and occupations.
The comments from Katz came after Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of Israel’s Yashar party, who’s been tasked with forming a new government, warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against any major military escalation during the transition.
“We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority to direct the IDF to carry out targeted killings in Gaza, defensive and offensive operations in Lebanon, maintain the security zone in Syria to protect the communities of the Golan, clear a terrorist neighborhood in Hebron … and continue offensive operations against terrorism in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” Katz wrote on X.
While Katz is framing the issue around Israel’s ongoing military operations, Eisenkot doesn’t appear to be troubled by the current conflicts but is rather concerned about the risk of Netanyahu launching a major escalation to attempt to keep himself in power, such as an attack on Iran.
“We have also demonstrated resolve and sound judgment toward Iran, in full coordination with the IDF—and that will remain the case now, as circumstances require,” Katz said. “Israel’s security is not on hold and is not waiting for the political processes taking place in parallel.”
Israeli media has reported that the Israeli government has taken steps to prepare for strikes on Iran, and that a meeting of the security cabinet is being convened on Sunday for the first time in more than a month.
Katz met with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Thursday and said that he and Netanyahu and the Israeli army chief see “eye to eye on the Iranian issue in all its aspects, and we will continue to work together and do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of the State of Israel and protect its citizens.”
Also on Thursday, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu held a two-hour security briefing with Eisenkot, which came after Eisenkot complained to the attorney general that his repeated requests for briefings were being ignored.
