📰 6 sources 7 articles · 18 Oct 2026, 16:38 → 26 days ago

Katz's statements on strikes on Iran and threats to its infrastructure

Reports covered Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's statements that Israel and the United States targeted Iran with tens of thousands of bombs and destroyed its nuclear program, along with threats of wide-scale strikes on Iran's infrastructure if confrontations resume. The remarks coincided with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table, reports of multiple maritime incidents in the Gulf, and U.S. Central Command saying the strait is open to navigation.

📍 Where things stand: Israeli statements about the scale of the strikes and the destruction of Iran's nuclear program continue, alongside talk of an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. Central Command confirmation that the strait is open to navigation.

⏱️ Timeline

18 Oct 2026, 16:38 Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel and the United States targeted Iran with 36,000 bombs and that Iran's nuclear program was destroyed in the 'Rising Lion' operation, while 'Lion's Roar' was carried out with Washington. He added 'we assassinated Khamenei,' referring to late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and said the failure in the 1973 October War was political.
18 Oct 2026, 16:49 Katz threatened wide-scale strikes on energy facilities and infrastructure in Iran if confrontations resume, vowing to 'return the country 40 years back' and push it into 'the age of darkness and the Stone Age.' In an interview with Israeli Channel 14, he said Israel is fully prepared to launch a comprehensive attack on Iran and that Israel and the United States dropped 35,000 bombs on targets inside Iranian territory.
18 Oct 2026, 17:30 Reports said Katz stated that the two countries used explosive warheads weighing one ton each and precisely targeted sites inside Iran, in the context of his remarks on the October War.
18 Oct 2026, 18:56 Katz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a 'decisive and dramatic' decision to launch raids on targets in Iran 2,000 kilometers away, in his remarks on the 1973 October War.
18 Oct 2026, 19:33 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table, while the Gulf waters witnessed multiple maritime incidents, and U.S. Central Command confirmed that the strait is open to navigation.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Number of bombs Katz said were dropped on Iran

36,000 bombs according to سكاي نيوز عربية
35,000 bombs according to RojNews.News
35,000 bombs according to الشرق للأخبار

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

Coverage varied between focusing on the 36,000-bomb figure, operational details and threats, and limiting itself to the 35,000-bomb figure or a broad headline without details. Sources distributed their emphasis between highlighting the 'Stone Age' threat, operational details, and the regional context related to the Strait of Hormuz.

سكاي نيوز عربية In its first report, it highlighted the 36,000-bomb figure and the destruction of the nuclear program, quoted Katz saying 'we assassinated Khamenei' and describing the 1973 failure as political, then added in a later report the Strait of Hormuz file, maritime incidents and the U.S. Central Command confirmation.
RojNews.News It led with the Israeli threat to return Iran '40 years back' and to 'the age of darkness and the Stone Age,' quoted Katz in an interview with Channel 14 saying Israel is ready for a comprehensive attack, and cited the 35,000-bomb figure.
موقع كلمة الإخباري It highlighted Katz's announcement of dropping 36,000 bombs and destroying the nuclear program, included details of one-ton explosive warheads and precise targeting, and linked the remarks to talk about the October War.
وكالة عمون الاخبارية It opened with the announcement of 36,000 bombs and the destruction of the nuclear program, added Katz saying Netanyahu made a 'decisive and dramatic' decision to raid targets 2,000 kilometers away, and mentioned one-ton explosive warheads.
lebanon debate It limited itself to a headline saying Katz announced 'the destruction of Iran's nuclear program' and disclosed war figures, without additional details about these figures or their context.
الشرق للأخبار Its report was brief and said Katz announced that the United States and Israel dropped 35,000 bombs on Iran during the war, without other details.