One day after the two regional enemies agreed to a truce after nearly two weeks of fierce cross-border fighting, Israel formally classified Iran’s central bank as a terrorist organization.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that he had signed a special directive designating the Central Bank of Iran, two other Iranian financial institutions, and a corporation with ties to the Iranian military as terrorist organizations.
Katz explained the action as a part of Israel’s broader strategy to “cut off the financial lifeline” of extremist organizations supported by Iran that operate throughout the Middle East.
This is a component of Israel’s larger anti-Iranian effort. It goes at the core of the Iranian regime’s terror financing network, which provides funding, weapons, and guidance for terrorism across the region, according to the statement.
This comes just one day after the United States and Qatar mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that ended 12 days of drone and missile raids back and forth.
The violent Iranian response to U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which included missile attacks on Israeli cities, including one that killed at least 16 people in Tel Aviv’s Ramat Aviv area, sparked the escalation.
Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October, the decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel grew more intense, resulting in a wider conflict involving Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief, indicated that the country’s strategic conflict with Iran is far from ended despite the ceasefire.
“The battle against Iran has not ended, but we have reached a crucial milestone. Based on the successes of the current phase, we are embarking on a new one,” Zamir stated in a statement on Tuesday.
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