Defense Minister Declares: We Are Now The Closest To Winning The War

Defense Minister Israel Katz convened today (Tuesday) a special multi-theater situation assessment, with the participation of senior security officials. At the end of the discussion, Katz declared that Israel is at the closest point to defeating its enemies since the outbreak of fighting, and that two main theaters remain to complete the war objectives – Gaza and Yemen.

"We are in an advanced stage of the fighting," the Defense Minister said. "We have identified growing weakness among our enemies, and we are seeing significant progress in the various theaters. We have only two theaters left to finish – Gaza, where we will continue targeted activity to complete the dismantling of Hamas, and Yemen, where we will act against the Houthi threat in cooperation with our allies."

On Iran and Judea and Samaria: Katz emphasized that Israel will not allow Iran to re-arm its proxies. "We will take decisive steps both in Lebanon and in Syria, in order to prevent the strengthening of the Iranian axis," he said. Referring to the situation in Judea and Samaria, he warned: "If necessary, we will also act there with full force."

The Goal – Returning the Hostages: Katz concluded that the objective of the fighting remains unchanged – returning the hostages and restoring security to all Israeli citizens. "We will not stop until we bring them all home. The path to decision is clear, and we are closer than ever."