Israel has officially classified Iran’s Central Bank as a terrorist organisation, just one day after a ceasefire was established between the two regional adversaries following nearly two weeks of severe cross-border conflicts.
In a statement on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, revealed that he had signed a special directive designating the Central Bank of Iran, along with two other Iranian financial institutions and a company linked to the Iranian military, as terrorist organisations.
This action is part of what Katz referred to as Israel’s intensified effort to “cut off the financial lifeline” of Iran-supported militant groups operating throughout the Middle East.
“This is part of Israel’s wider campaign against Iran. It aims at the core of the Iranian regime’s terror financing network, which supports, equips and orchestrates terrorism across the region,” the statement indicated.
This development follows just one day after Israel and Iran reached a ceasefire, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, which concluded 12 days of mutual missile assaults and drone strikes.
The escalation commenced after U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites, provoking a fierce Iranian retaliation that included missile strikes on Israeli cities, notably a hit on Tel Aviv’s Ramat Aviv area that resulted in injuries to at least 16 individuals.
The long-standing covert conflict between Israel and Iran escalated last October after the Hamas-led assault on Israel, which triggered a wider confrontation involving Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, indicated that Israel’s strategic conflict with Iran is far from resolved.
“We have completed a significant phase, but the campaign against Iran is not concluded. We are entering a new phase built on the successes of the current one,” Zamir stated in a declaration on Tuesday.
