JERUSALEM – Israel seeks no perpetual war with Iran and will align with the United States on cessation timing, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar affirmed Tuesday, withholding a public endpoint amid the 11-day U.S.-Israel offensive now spilling into Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Saar hailed strides in crippling Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals, vowing strikes persist “until the minute we, and our partners, think appropriate to stop.” Speaking beside German counterpart Johann Wadephul in Jerusalem, he stressed consulting Washington at the “right time.”
The Israeli military reported fresh Tehran raids on “terror regime targets” Tuesday, alongside Iranian missile salvos toward Israel, evidence of lingering retaliation capacity. Regional chaos has mounted since strikes began, with Tehran hitting back across the Middle East.
President Donald Trump offered vague timelines Monday, not this week, but “very soon” as Israel eyes regime collapse via nuclear/missile demolition and conditions for Iranian uprising. Saar framed long-term threat removal: “We want to remove… existential threats from Iran to Israel,” while eyeing post-war freedom for Iranians under new hardliner supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the Day 1 casualty Ayatollah Ali.
“We must not miss this opportunity with partial results,” Saar urged, labeling Khamenei an extremist. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted no swift-end blueprint, yet Wadephul voiced optimism for diplomacy tackling Iran’s nukes, missiles, and proxy backing, terms Tehran rejects.
Saar pressed global isolation: sever ties with Tehran. Officials recall June’s brief war, ended by U.S. intervention bombing nuclear sites. A source hinted Israel’s push for maximum damage before any Trump pivot.