JERUSALEM

Israel is in the middle of World War III, according to Israel's new Foreign Minister Israel Katz, identifying its foe as what he called “Iran-led radical Islam, whose tentacles are already in Europe.”

On Tuesday, his first day in office, Katz accused Tehran of actively pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, according to the Israel 24 news website.

"We are going through challenging moments, infused with hope in mobilizing the entire country,” Katz said, taking the reins from his predecessor, Eli Cohen.

"The first thing, my top priority is the activity of this office to bring the hostages home," he added, referring to the Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7, but did not address how that goal might conflict with Israel’s stated goal to eliminate Hamas.

He claimed that "the Iranian race to acquire nuclear weapons is gaining momentum at its strongest during these times."

"The front that Iran built in the region is not only against Israel and its interests; this is a third world war with today's tools," he said, adding that Israel is at the forefront of the war.

The Israeli government on Sunday approved the appointment of then-Energy Minister Israel Katz as the country’s top diplomat.

Katz replaced Eli Cohen, who became energy minister under a rotation agreement within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Haaretz daily reported.

Katz had previously served as foreign minister from 2019 to 2020.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio