From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Katz: IDF is ‘preparing’ for possibility it will be ‘forced to return to fighting’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Speaking at an IDF cadets graduation ceremony, Defense Minister Israel Katz says the military is prepared to return to fighting if necessary.
“If we are forced to return to fighting, the enemy will face the IDF with power it has never known before. We are preparing for this, and we are ready for this,” he says.
“The fighting will end with two clear achievements: The defeat of Hamas and the release of all our hostages,” Katz says, adding that Israel will work to return all the remaining living and dead hostages in Hamas captivity “swiftly.”
Also in his speech, Katz says that Israel’s eyes are looking at the entire Middle East, “especially toward Syria.”
“We have committed that we will not be able to return to the reality of October 7. There is a new policy in southern Syria. The IDF will not allow hostile forces to base themselves in the security zone in southern Syria, from here to the Suwayda-Damascus route, and we will act against any threat,” he says.
The Times of Israel Community.