Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to Iranian warning of “obliterating war” if Israel launches a full-scale war against Hezbollah, stressing that “a regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed.” In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Katz underlined that if the Iran-backed militant group “does not cease its fire and withdraw from southern Lebanon, we will act against it with full force until security is restored and residents can return to their homes.” Previously, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said that “all Resistance Fronts” are ready to support Hezbollah if Israel starts an all-out war against Lebanon.
Israeli FM Katz invited to NATO summit
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Friday that he was invited to the NATO summit, which will be held in Washington, DC from July 9 to 11. He added that he was invited by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Although the agenda for the summit has not been published yet, the Middle East crisis is certain to be one of the points of discussion. While several prominent NATO allies support Israel, including the US, the United Kingdom and Germany, Turkey is one of Israel’s strongest critics, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regularly blasting the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.