Tel Aviv: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said this week that the war would continue until Israel and the United States decide the moment is right to bring it to a halt, offering no timetable for when that might happen.
“The war with Iran will continue until the minute that we, and our partners, think that it is appropriate to stop,” Saar told reporters in Jerusalem, speaking alongside Germany’s foreign minister, according to Reuters.
The comments come as the conflict between Israel and Iran continued for the second week, spreading across the Middle East after US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran. Tehran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region.
While US President Donald Trump has suggested the war could end soon, Saar signaled that Israel is not working with a fixed timeline. “We are not seeking an endless war,” Saar said, but added that the fighting would continue until Israel believes it has removed long-term threats posed by Iran.
Israel says its objective is to cripple Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which it views as existential threats.
Middle East conflict: Major developments• Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of global crude oil supplies, CNN reported. • US President Donald Trump warned Iran of “consequences of a level never seen before" after reports surfaced that Tehran was laying mines. • Iran’s military vowed to strike US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks. US companies, including Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle in West Asia, are reportedly on Iran's hit list. • Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced the arrest of 30 individuals accused of spying and collaborating with the US and Israel, according to a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency. • About 140 US service members have been wounded in the ongoing war with Iran, the Pentagon said. • US Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff said negotiations with Iran made clear that Tehran was not seriously interested in reaching a diplomatic agreement over its nuclear program. |
