‘Waiting US Nod To Eliminate Khamenei Dynasty’: Israel Says Ready To Resume War Against Iran

Last Updated:April 23, 2026, 23:24 IST

Defence minister Israel Katz says Israeli forces are ready, awaits US approval to escalate offensive.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said that Israel remains ready to resume war with Iran and is awaiting US approval to escalate its offensive.

The war waged by the US and Israel against Iran, now in its seventh week, began with the death of Ayatollah Khamenei on February 28.

“Israel is ready to resume the war with Iran. The Israel Defense Forces have completed preparations for both defence and offence, and target selection has been finalised," Katz said in a Hebrew-language video message.

“We are waiting for US approval to completely eliminate the Khamenei family, the masterminds of the plan to annihilate Israel, and the successors of the leadership of Iran’s terror regime. We will blow up key energy and power facilities and collapse the country’s economic infrastructure to return Iran to darkness and the Stone Age," he added.

The remarks come two days after Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that Tel Aviv saw a low likelihood of a deal and had begun preparing to resume the war after the ceasefire ended.

The development also comes amid Iranian officials saying that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, remains gravely wounded from a strike earlier in the war.

The development, first reported by The New York Times, said that Khamenei, despite suffering grave injuries, “is still mentally sharp".

The report said that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underwent surgery on one leg three times. Mojtaba is now awaiting a prosthetic. He is also regaining function in the affected areas and suffered burns to his face and lips.

News world ‘Waiting US Nod To Eliminate Khamenei Dynasty’: Israel Says Ready To Resume War Against Iran

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