Israeli defense minister says no need for opposition approval to launch strikes

JERUSALEM: Israeli caretaker Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the outgoing coalition does not need permission from the opposition to decide on fresh military operations, following calls to show restraint.

“We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority” for the army to carry out strikes in any of the arenas where it operates, Katz wrote on X.

The leader of the opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot, has called on caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, warning that the use of force without a “direct and immediate threat” could have “disastrous consequences for Israeli democracy and for citizens’ trust.”