Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the joint military campaign against Iran has entered a decisive new phase, while US President Donald Trump confirmed massive airstrikes on Iran's vital Kharg Island oil terminal.
Following a week of unprecedented US and Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, the conflict has escalated into a new phase. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday that the joint campaign led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the Islamic Republic has entered a "decisive stage", according to the German state-owned broadcaster DW Persian.
The scope of the bombardment is widening significantly. Katz stated that military operations are expanding and that the Israeli Air Force is "continuing its strikes on Tehran and across Iran", as reported by the Saudi-aligned Al Arabiya Farsi. Concurrently, Donald Trump announced that the US military has launched massive strikes on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, a crucial hub for Iranian oil exports, according to DW Persian. This development directly follows threats earlier in the week from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to target Middle Eastern energy infrastructure amidst surging global oil prices.
Aligning with previous statements from Netanyahu, Katz explicitly called for regime change. He urged the Iranian people to "fight resolutely" to overthrow the government in Tehran, asserting that this is the only way Iran can be saved, per DW Persian.
Inside the Iranian media landscape, the escalation is being widely broadcast, though with distinct editorial framing. While Western and Saudi-affiliated outlets refer to Katz as the Defense Minister, local Iranian aggregator channels such as Khabari and Akhbar Fori describe him as the Israeli Minister of War when reporting his statement that they have entered a vital stage in operations against Iran. Another local channel, Khabar Fori News, reported the same critical stage phrasing but utilized the standard Minister of Defense title.
The terminology used to describe Israel Katz reflects the distinct editorial stances of the sources. Iranian domestic channels (Khabari, Akhbar Fori) utilize Minister of War, a standard pejorative framing in state-aligned or pro-regime Iranian media to emphasize hostility. International and foreign-based channels like DW Persian and Al Arabiya Farsi use the standard title of Defense Minister. The sources otherwise present a unified factual narrative regarding the escalation and Katz's statement.