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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war began, as Israel's defense minister confirmed publicly for the first time that American warplanes have used Israeli bases to strike Iran.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told Israel's Channel 14 that American fighter jets have been taking off from Israel to strike Iran.
"U.S. fighter jets are taking off from Israel to launch attacks on Iran, and the Iranians know that," Katz said, adding, "The fact is that, at the moment, and this could change within an hour, the Iranians are firing at everything in the region except one country: the State of Israel," he said.
"This does not mean we know what will happen tomorrow; it means we know what our response will be. I announced it, the prime minister announced it, and we made it absolutely clear: if Israel comes under fire, we will strike back with full force," the Israeli official added.
Katz said Israel wants to strike Iranian energy targets but that the U.S. has not approved such action.
"We strongly want to attack Iranian energy targets, but the U.S. does not agree to that at this stage," he said, adding that Washington's reluctance stems from concern that further strikes could prompt Iran to attack neighboring countries and trigger a global oil crisis.
Katz noted that the U.S. has broader interests in Iran than Israel does, adding that Israel has launched over 35,000 missiles and bombs at Iran over the past two years and remains prepared to act independently if necessary.
Katz alleged that Iran has attempted to target Netanyahu and senior Israeli political and military officials, saying Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet, has played a critical role in preventing such attempts.
Israeli media had separately reported that Netanyahu departed Israel for his U.S. visit under unusually tight security measures due to Iran-related security concerns.
Katz addressed reports of U.S. pressure on Israel to withdraw from what he called "buffer zones" in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria. "Trump understood that Israel will not withdraw from the buffer zones in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria," he said.
Regarding Israel's campaign in southern Lebanon, Katz said Israeli forces had destroyed between 15,000 and 20,000 homes across 24 Lebanese villages along the border, some with histories dating back a century.
On Gaza, Katz said he had visited the territory a week earlier. "We destroyed Gaza above and below ground," he said.
Katz further said: "In Gaza, we are destroying not just what's underground but entire homes. Today, nearly 70% of Gaza is destroyed. Today, Shujaiya doesn't exist, Jabalia doesn't exist."
Asked whether Israel would permit settlements in Gaza, Katz said the timing would depend on Israel declaring that Hamas had failed to comply with the ceasefire agreement, saying that in such a scenario, Israel would establish "Nahal outposts" in the evacuated communities of Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israel's campaign in Gaza, which began Oct. 8, 2023, has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 174,000 others, most of them women and children.
The ministry said that despite a ceasefire that took effect Oct. 10, 2025, Israel has continued daily attacks that have killed 1,207 Palestinians and injured 3,914 others since the ceasefire began.
Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has paused since Friday after 13 consecutive nights of U.S. strikes, following the collapse of an earlier ceasefire.
Trump voiced optimism Monday about prospects for a negotiated deal with Iran as both sides held their fire for a third consecutive day, while saying the U.S. would resume strikes if talks failed.
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