Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to prepare for new military operations against Iran.
Katz spoke on Dr. Gadi Taub's "Threshold Guardian" podcast. Assessing Iran's nuclear program, Katz claimed that the Tehran administration has not rebuilt the nuclear facilities hit in attacks carried out jointly with the US. "They first need to make a decision to restart it, and they have not yet made such a decision," he said.
24 villages in southern Lebanon wiped off the map
Katz described the extent of the occupation they are carrying out in southern Lebanon. "I had said that southern Lebanon would turn into Gaza and that we would apply the Rafah model," Katz said, arguing that the approximately 200,000 civilians displaced from the area would not be able to return home "for a very long time."
Noting that the Israeli army is systematically destroying villages with bulldozers and explosives, Katz said, "Ninety percent of the homes are now gone. Between 15,000 and 20,000 homes have been razed." Katz said that 24 Lebanese villages along the border line have been wiped off the map, adding, "There are no civilians there anymore. Only soldiers and destroyed homes."
Occupation expands in Gaza
Addressing the attacks and occupation they continue in the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire, Katz said, "We are in the heart of Gaza. Not only are we still in Gaza, but our presence there is expanding rather than shrinking."
Noting that the occupied areas have exceeded 60 percent, Katz said, "We will clearly and unequivocally continue to stay there. These security zones are now part of Israel's national security policy."
Regarding the destruction wrought in the city of Rafah, Katz said, "Rafah has been razed. There is no place left for them to return to. Those who remain are trapped in tunnels. We later applied the same model in Beit Hanoun, Khan Younis, and other places."
