Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a press conference regarding settlement expansion for the long-frozen E1 settlement that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Aug. 14, 2025. (Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel has “no interest” in joining U.S. military operations against Iran, according to the daily Haaretz.
“The current situation, in which the conflict between Iran and the United States remains limited, is the right one and the best for us. We are not looking to get involved,” Smotrich said following a security cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking at a conference marking the 21st anniversary of the evacuation of Gush Katif, a former bloc of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, the minister said Israel’s main objective was to weaken the Iranian regime, arguing that economic pressure was the best way to achieve that goal.
The U.S. and Israel instigated the regional war with large-scale attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran responded by targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf and military infrastructure in Israel.
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