In a statement that would make even the most hawkish foreign policy hawk do a double-take, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel is fully "prepared to resume the war against Iran" - and is just sitting by the phone waiting for Washington to say go.
According to reporting by France 24's Noga Tarnopolsky from Jerusalem, Katz did not exactly sugarcoat his country's intentions, stating that Israel was awaiting a green light from the United States to, in his words, return Iran to "the Stone Age."
So... what does that actually mean?
To be clear, this is a claim made by the Israeli defense minister - not a confirmed military plan. But the rhetoric alone is significant. Katz's statement represents one of the most direct and aggressive public declarations from a senior Israeli official regarding potential military action against Iran, and it puts the United States squarely in the hot seat as the de facto approval authority for what Israel might do next.
The timing is also hard to ignore. It comes amid ongoing tensions following the series of exchanges between Israel and Iran in 2024, including Iranian ballistic missile strikes and Israeli retaliatory operations against Iranian air defense systems - all of which dramatically escalated a conflict that had previously been fought mostly through proxies and strongly-worded press releases.
The US angle - awkward much?
The part that is likely giving diplomats heartburn is the framing that Israel is essentially waiting for American permission. That puts the Biden - or depending on when this plays out, Trump - administration in the uncomfortable position of either being seen as greenlighting a massive regional escalation, or holding back an ally that is clearly champing at the bit.
Neither option is a great look when you're trying to manage a Middle East that is already about as stable as a Jenga tower in an earthquake.
What happens next?
As of now, no US green light has been publicly reported, and there is no confirmed imminent Israeli military operation against Iran. But Katz's statement signals loud and clear that Israeli leadership considers the option very much on the table - and apparently just needs the go-ahead from its primary backer.
Whether that call ever comes, and what form it takes, may well define the next chapter of an already extraordinarily volatile regional conflict.
Source: France 24, reporting by Noga Tarnopolsky from Jerusalem.
