"As early as November, we held discussions with the prime minister in a very narrow circle. The prime minister set a goal: to eliminate Khamenei," Katz told Israeli television.
He added that after consultations with the Israeli military (IDF) and the Mossad intelligence service, a tentative deadline for the operation was set. "In agreement with the IDF and Mossad, the target date was ultimately set for the middle of this year, around June, to carry it out," he said.
Katz said Israel had not shared its plans with the United States at that stage. “We were preparing on the assumption that we might have to do it ourselves,” he said. Shortly after, he said, “a kind of dialogue” began between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump on the subject.
"There was concern that the Iranian regime might launch a preemptive strike"
Katz added that Israel and the United States were surprised when protests erupted across Iran late last year. He said it raised concerns in Israel that internal unrest could prompt the Iranian regime to launch a preemptive strike before Israel could seize a strategic moment.
"It surprised us all. The unrest not only created an opportunity. At that moment, there was also serious concern that the regime, under pressure from the protests, could launch a preemptive missile attack on Israel and on American forces in the region," Katz said.
During that period, according to Katz, discussions were also opened between Washington and Jerusalem about the possible overthrow of the Iranian regime. "The topic came up in the talks, and the two sides reached an agreement to cooperate in defining goals," he admitted.
"Netanyahu was the only one in the world who could create such cooperation with Trump"
He added that talks then began on “creating the conditions for the Iranian people to start acting to overthrow the regime.” “We have started working on those goals,” he stressed.
Kac said that joint planning followed. "From that point on, there was joint planning and then a joint operational planning process," he said.
Katz praised the Israeli prime minister. "I think the only person in the world, the only leader who could create such cooperation with President Trump, is Benjamin Netanyahu," he said.
He also emphasized that neither Israel nor the US dragged the other side into the attack on Iran, but that decisions were made independently, based on assessed threats posed by the Islamic Republic.
