IDF denies apologizing to US military over Katz revealing planes striking Iran from Israel

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A US Air Force Boeing KC-46A aerial refueling tanker takes off from Ben Gurion Airport on June 8, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
A US Air Force Boeing KC-46A aerial refueling tanker takes off from Ben Gurion Airport on June 8, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

An Israeli military official denies a report by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet, claiming that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was forced to apologize to his American counterpart after Defense Minister Israel Katz said US warplanes have been taking off from Israel for strikes in Iran.

“The report regarding a conversation between the chief of staff and the CENTCOM commander is incorrect,” the official says, adding that Zamir has not spoken with Adm. Brad Cooper since Katz’s remarks yesterday.

Katz had told the right-wing Channel 14 news that the Iranians “know that American aircraft are taking off from here, and refuelers are taking off from here, to strike.”

Al-Hadath, citing an Israeli military source, claimed that CENTCOM was outraged by the remarks, and that they had revealed “operational secrets.”

The report claimed that Israel had raised its level of alert after the revelation.

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