Smotrich: US-Iran War Most Ideal, Israel Doesn't Need to Join

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that the continuation of the United States’ war against Iran is the most ideal outcome for Israel, as long as Israeli citizens do not have to fight directly. “Israel has no interest in joining this military campaign—the current situation is the best for us,” the far-right minister stated on Tuesday, as quoted by Kan news and reported by Middle East Eye.

Smotrich made the remarks at the Katif Conference for National Responsibility, an annual forum that promotes the illegal resettlement of Israelis in the Gaza Strip. He has repeatedly urged Israel to occupy the enclave, impose military rule, and build illegal settlements there, whilst calling for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

Israel and the US initiated this war through coordinated strikes on Iran on 28 February, after Israel lobbied Washington to enter the conflict. This prompted retaliatory attacks from Tehran targeting US military assets across the region. Fighting flared again earlier this month when the US bombed several targets in Iran, which responded by striking American assets in the region. Israel has so far not been directly involved in the latest round of fighting.

Nevertheless, Smotrich stressed that Israel still wants the war to achieve its strategic objectives. “We must remember that Israel’s primary goal—and not necessarily America’s primary goal—is to damage and weaken the regime in Iran, to the point of overthrowing it,” he said.