Katz Says IDF Must Keep Independent Iran Strike Ready
Published
At 19:58 IDT, a Defense Ministry-distributed statement said Defense Minister Israel Katz held a multi-front assessment marking 1,000 days since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre. Katz said Israel had thwarted Iran's nuclear program and must keep the IDF ready for an independent blue-and-white strike in Iran whenever required. The update said Katz was told 83% of Hamas tunnels in Gaza's yellow-line area have been destroyed, while IDF security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria will be held for the long term. Israel should treat this as readiness discipline: wartime gains matter only if Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah cannot rebuild.
Sources
Difference in reporting
The source pool differs on the statement date it documents: HotNews carries a July 2 Defense Ministry-distributed assessment at 19:58 IDT, while Israel Hayom, Ynet, Iran International and i24 document Katz's June 29 readiness briefing and C14 documents the 83% yellow-line tunnel figure from an earlier Gaza tunnel status report. The agreed facts are that Katz directed the IDF to prepare independent Iran options, tied readiness to missile and nuclear threats, and paired that with long-term security-zone and Hamas-tunnel pressure. No source reports a conflicting readiness instruction, tunnel percentage or security-zone posture.
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