Israeli Foreign Minister: We Are in the Midst of World War III Against 'Radical Islam' Led by the Islamic Republic

The new Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, stated on Tuesday during his first day in office that 'World War III against the dangerous belief of radical Islam' led by the Islamic Republic of Iran has begun. According to the Jerusalem Post, Katz said, 'We are in the midst of World War III against radical Islam led by (the Islamic Republic of) Iran, whose tentacles have reached Europe.' He mentioned that Israel is not alone in this battle, as moderate Arab countries are also against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Katz noted that this war is not like World War I or II. He held the Islamic Republic responsible for the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, asserting that Hamas aimed to undermine the peace process between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state. He stated, 'We were in the midst of a dream,' referring to the dream of regional peace, and that is why the Islamic Republic 'did what it did.' Katz identified the release of the remaining 129 hostages in Gaza as his main objective. He said that maintaining Israel's diplomatic legitimacy to combat Hamas and Hezbollah is the second priority of the Foreign Ministry. Katz mentioned that the third goal is to apply diplomatic pressure to force Hezbollah to withdraw from Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Following that, Katz stated that another goal is to stop the threat posed by Iran's attempts to produce nuclear weapons and to use its proxy groups, including the Houthis, to attack Israel through conventional means. An 'Israeli drone attack' in the suburbs of Beirut resulted in the death of a senior Hamas official. Turkey arrested 33 people 'on suspicion of espionage' for Israel.