JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Wednesday that the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran will persist indefinitely until all objectives are met, amid escalating strikes in the nearly two-week-old conflict.

“The operation will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we accomplish all objectives and achieve victory in the campaign,” Katz said during a situational assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and members of the IDF General Staff. The comments were released in a video by Katz’s office.

Katz emphasized that one key goal of the Israel Defense Forces’ strikes is to create conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow their regime.

“Ultimately, this depends on them,” he said, reiterating Israel’s message urging internal action against the government.

The defense minister described joint U.S.-Israeli operations as “impressive and systematic,” targeting regime personnel, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia — a paramilitary force involved in suppressing domestic protests.

Katz sharply criticized surviving Iranian leaders, calling them “a bunch of cowards who attack women, children, and the elderly in the streets, specialize in massacres and killing civilians.” He added that they are “already threatening to murder and slaughter anyone who protests.”

The remarks come as the conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 that killed Iran’s supreme leader and other officials, enters its second week. Strikes have targeted IRGC facilities, missile sites, air defenses and other military infrastructure across Iran, including in Tehran.

Katz’s statements follow reports of continued Iranian missile attacks on Israel, including a fresh barrage after a brief lull, and Israeli claims of heavy casualties among IRGC and Basij forces.