Israel's Defence Minister thanks US for support against Iran threat

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth reaffirmed their military cooperation against Iran. Katz thanked the US for its support, while Hegseth backed Israel's actions. Iran then threatened to strike the Dimona nuclear site.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has spoken to his American counterpart, the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, his office told the Times of Israel, the publication reported on Thursday.

According to a readout from the defence minister's office, Katz condoled the death of six US service members who were killed in Iranian attacks, "and noted that Israel is doing and will continue to do everything to assist in protecting the safety of US troops in the region."

"Katz asked to thank US President Trump for the great support for Israel and noted that the cooperation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu against Iran is changing regional and global history," the statement said.

Katz also thanked Hegseth "for his great support for Israel and for the extensive assistance in defending the citizens of the State of Israel against the Iranian missile threat, and noted the close and unprecedented cooperation between the militaries to achieve all of the war's objectives."

The defence minister's office further told the Times of Israel that Hegseth "praised the unprecedented cooperation between the militaries and the capabilities of the IDF" and told Katz: "Continue to the end, we are with you."

Iran Issues Counter-Threats

Meanwhile, Iran today threatened to target the Dimona nuclear site if Israel and the US sought to topple the Islamic Republic. This follows an open threat from Israel's Defence Minister, Katz, who had said that any new leader brought in by the regime will be a legitimate target for elimination.

Operation 'True Promise 4' Launched

Iran's IRGC also said today that it has launched the nineteenth wave of Operation 'True Promise 4' as a combined missile and drone operation, according to the IRGC Public Relations.

According to the IRGC PR, "This operation against the positions of American-Zionist terrorists in the heart of the occupied territories and American terrorist bases began with massive explosions under the blessed code name 'Ya Hassan ibn Ali (peace be upon him)."

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier announced that it had carried out strikes against Israeli and American targets across the region, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.

In a statement on Wednesday (local time), the IRGC said the latest wave of attacks came on the fifth day of the operation, which Tehran says was launched in response to what it called "unprovoked aggression" by Israel and the United States. The force claimed that more than seven advanced radar systems belonging to the United States and Israel had been destroyed, describing the strikes as having "blinded the eyes" of the two countries' surveillance network in the region. (ANI)

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