Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have in recent days changed operational directives to the IDF and Mossad, granting security forces advance authorization to carry out targeted killings of senior figures in Iran and Hezbollah without prior political approval when time-sensitive intelligence emerges.
A senior official said the move marks a significant shift from past practice, where operations against high-level targets required authorization from the political echelon. “This has never happened before,” the official said, adding that the pace of intelligence requires action within minutes. “From the moment the information comes in, you have to move quickly. There is no time to wait for approvals. The goal is to deepen the achievements. There is pre-approval for every operation — if it’s immediate, strike.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir
(Photo: Maayan Toaf, GPO)
Senior Israeli officials also described the killing of Ali Larijani, referred to as Iran’s “de facto leader,” as a dramatic development. “The Iranians now lack a significant head, no clear leadership,” they said, adding that while Mojtaba Khamenei is believed to be alive, his condition and functionality remain unclear. “We are eliminating anyone we can — anyone who becomes a target is struck.”
The officials added that Larijani had explored renewing negotiations with the United States to limit losses, but described him as an extremist. “His elimination was necessary and represents a major blow to the regime — morally, politically and operationally,” they said.
Israeli officials said the war is expected to continue for several more weeks with full backing from U.S. President Donald Trump. “We are not seeing the Americans pull back — on the contrary, they are deepening their involvement,” they said. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, officials noted that Israel is assisting the United States with intelligence, though not operationally. “They have more capabilities than we do there, but we are helping with intelligence on targets and related matters,” they said.
On Hezbollah, officials said the group is attempting to launch large barrages to project strength, adding that no negotiations are currently underway. “Hezbollah is signaling outwardly that it retains the capability to launch rockets every evening,” they said.
Earlier in the day, the IDF issued advance warnings to civilians about the possibility of Hezbollah rocket fire, a move that differed from its approach last week when no such warning was given. Defense Minister Katz instructed the military to provide earlier notice following what was described as a mistake. Officials said there were concerns that early warnings could lead to residents leaving northern areas.
“Today we managed to delay this wave of launches by two hours,” officials said, adding that further attempts by Hezbollah are expected in the coming days.