Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on 8 November that the “mission is still not complete” regarding Iran, renewing charges that Tehran is trying to revive efforts to obtain nuclear weapons — a claim Iran denies, according to Straits Times / AFP.

“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons — alongside other grave efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger,” Katz said at a memorial ceremony.

He warned Hezbollah not to join any Iranian attack on Israel and said Israeli forces will not withdraw from “security zones” in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. If Hezbollah joined such an attack, it would “suffer extremely severe blows,” he added.

The comments come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces political pressure after the 27 October election, in which rival Gadi Eisenkot was tasked with forming a new government. Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened new strikes on Iran in recent weeks; U.S. backing for such an operation remains unclear.

Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu and Mossad tried an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel’s vote but that the United States learned of it and stopped it. Katz urged Israelis to put national security above internal disputes.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Katz offered no new public evidence in the speech; the IAEA recently said it had not detected efforts to rebuild struck facilities, though inspectors’ access remains limited.

Image: Israel Katz at the defence ministry handover (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Sources consulted: Israel defence minister says ‘mission not complete’ on Iran — The Straits Times.