Israel is ready to strike Iranian territory again if it decides that remaining threats require a military response, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on May 14.

Speaking at a ceremony honoring those killed in the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition, Katz made clear that the confrontation with Tehran is not over. He said Israel must see the campaign through and ensure that Iran no longer poses a threat — not only to Israel, but also to U.S. troops and the countries he described as the free world.

Katz said Israel was prepared for the possibility that it may soon have to act again to achieve those goals.

A day earlier, Ali Bagheri, deputy chairman of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the threats to Iran’s national security and sovereignty had been created by the United States and Israel. He also said their actions endangered international law, as well as regional and global stability and security.

In late March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran and the forces it supports in the Middle East no longer posed an existential threat to Israel. At the same time, he acknowledged that they still retained the ability to strike the Jewish state.

The United States and Israel began attacks on targets inside Iran on February 28. More than 3,000 people were killed in what the text describes as aggression. On April 8, Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire. Later talks in Islamabad ended without results. No renewed fighting has been reported since then, but the United States has begun blocking Iranian ports.