In the virtual reality world inhabited by Defense Minister Israel Katz, mighty Israel, endlessly blowing things up in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, has reduced its enemies to quivering, gibbering wrecks.

In three self-aggrandizing AI-boosted videos Katz has issued in the past 10 days, bombs fall relentlessly on enemy targets to a stirring soundtrack extolling his uniquely aggressive stewardship — “finally, finally, a right-wing defense minister” — as he strides manfully near IDF helicopters, tells the IDF chief of staff what to do, talks while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens, and appears to press a big red button. In one of the clips, issued on August 3, Iran’s leaders are reduced to pleading for divine protection from his unstoppable assault; in another, released on Monday, Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah chief Naem Qassam are depicted, goggle-eyed in panic, cowering in a bunker.

The third video, which borrows the soundtrack of the first — Katz was in a hurry, anxious to assert his mighty credentials ahead of next week’s Likud primary — focuses on the West Bank. Katz declares that he has fostered a “revolution” in Judea and Samaria, and brags that 40,000 residents of West Bank refugee camps have been forcibly evacuated and that he has canceled the use of administrative detention against Jewish terror suspects. Plainly, Katz deduced that the more hawkish he looks and sounds, the more likely he is to fare well in the primary, bolstering his dream of one day succeeding Netanyahu.

The clips, especially the first two, are so ridiculously bombastic that they might be considered amusing were Israel’s genuine security reality less threatening and complex.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz released a campaign video for the Likud primaries, telling voters to pick him for spot 121 and repeating the phrase "boom boom boom" to push his hardline security image. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The clip mixes footage of Katz with IDF officers, explosions and… pic.twitter.com/4amMZonIRU — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 10, 2026

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz released a campaign video for the Likud primaries, telling voters to pick him for spot 121 and repeating the phrase "boom boom boom" to push his hardline security image.

The clip mixes footage of Katz with IDF officers, explosions and… pic.twitter.com/4amMZonIRU

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 10, 2026

In the real world, Hamas has 20,000 armed fighters, and has been assiduously training them, while the Netanyahu government has been newly compelled by the Trump administration to stop targeting the terror group, and is currently no longer even going after October 7, 2023, participants.

Hezbollah is still killing Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon and remains capable of firing dozens of rockets a day at Israel.

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