Katz casts doubt on Mossad plan to use Kurds against Iran regime

Defense Minister Israel Katz conveyed skepticism about a Mossad plan to empower Kurdish forces for regime change in Iran, a plan notably vetoed by former US President Donald Trump. During a briefing to military reporters, Katz reacted with visible doubt when questioned about his support for the initiative, offering no endorsement.

This stance contrasts with some senior Mossad officials who maintain the plan could have been successful had Trump not intervened. Katz's apparent skepticism aligns with reservations reportedly held by many within the IDF and among U.S. defense officials regarding the plan's viability.

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He frowned twice and gave a clearly skeptical look.

However, conflicting accounts suggest Katz may have previously expressed strong support for the plan before the conflict's outcome was clear. Such support would not be surprising, given reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a significant proponent of the initiative, and Katz rarely disagrees with the prime minister publicly.

The plan reportedly involved Israel providing a no-fly zone and continuous aerial firepower to assist Kurdish forces against Iranian opposition. Weapons and training were supplied to the Kurds, some sourced from captured Hamas and Hezbollah armaments. The decision to veto the plan is debated, with speculation pointing to influence from Trump's own officials or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While CIA Director John Ratcliffe was reportedly against the intervention, sources indicate he never communicated this opposition to Israeli officials, and the CIA did provide weapons to the Kurds.

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The clear impression was that the defense minister had always been skeptical about the plan, just as many in the IDF and among US defense officials had been skeptical about the plan.