Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Katz warns Iran of ‘crushing blow’ if it attacks Israel

Israeli defense minister convenes high-level security assessment.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz convenes a meeting of high-ranking officers of the Israel Defense Forces, July 23, 2026. Credit: Ariel Harmoni/Israel Ministry of Defense.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz convenes a meeting of high-ranking officers of the Israel Defense Forces, July 23, 2026. Credit: Ariel Harmoni/Israel Ministry of Defense.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Thursday that Iran would suffer a “crushing blow” if it attacks the Jewish state, following a high-level security assessment with the country’s top military leadership.

“We are preparing for every possibility. If Iran attacks Israel, it will absorb a crushing blow,” Katz said, according to a statement from his office.

The meeting included IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the heads of the IDF Operations Directorate, Intelligence Directorate and Planning Directorate, Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and other senior defense officials.

The assessment came amid continued regional tensions following joint U.S. and Israeli military operations targeting Iran and its regional proxy network.

Israeli defense officials have said they are preparing for both defensive and offensive scenarios, including intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, protecting the home front and carrying out retaliatory strikes if necessary.

Senior Israeli officials have said that Israel remains prepared for a possible Iranian attack and would respond forcefully to any aggression.

See more from JNS Staff
President Isaac Herzog was presented with an honorary degree by the Jewish Theological Seminary in Jerusalem.
The nations agreed on a coordination mechanism for citizen services following Jerusalem’s prolonged humanitarian assistance deployment to the country.
The diplomatic move joins a host of bilateral measures to immediately strengthen relations between Jerusalem and Bogotá.
The meeting “focused on strategies to strengthen Jewish safety and belonging, maintain candid lines of communication and collaborate on issues where we have shared values and goals,” Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s office to Combat Antisemitism, told JNS.