JERUSALEM, July 28, 2026 (Net) – Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that American warplanes used Israeli bases during their attacks on Iran, reiterating that his country was prepared to re-taliate if targeted.
Fighting between the US and Iran has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of US strikes on the Is-lamic republic, after an April ceasefire collapsed.
Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities in the war that began in late February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“The fact is that, at the moment — and this could change within an hour — the Iranians are firing at eve-rything in the region except one country: the State of Israel,” Katz told Israel’s right-wing Channel 14.
“They know that American aircraft are taking off from here to carry out strikes,” he added.
“This does not mean we know what will happen tomorrow; it means we know what our response will be. I announced it, the Prime Minister announced it, and we made it absolutely clear: if Israel comes under fire, we will strike back with full force,” Katz said.
US President Donald Trump on Monday voiced optimism at the prospects for a negotiated peace deal with Iran, as the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day.
