Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that war with Iran will be a “last resort.”
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, he said Israel could move against Iran when needed but won’t do so unless it was its “last resort.”
Gantz added that Iran, regardless of its nuclear program, is mainly engaged in “malign activities” in the region.
The minister stressed that Iran poses a global security challenge, and that many countries, including Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, suffer more from it than Israel.
“Should we be able to conduct military operations to prevent it [a nuclear Iran] if needed, the answer is 'yes.' Are we building the ability [for war], 'yes.' Should we use it as a last case, yes, and I hope that we will get US support,” he remarked.
Gantz said that he attaches great importance to the statements made by US President Joe Biden in Tel Aviv a week ago.
Biden had affirmed that the US would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, told Israeli media that consolidating cooperation between Israel and Arab nations in the field of air defenses and missile interception figures high among US priorities in the region.
He stressed that the US “has not and will not withdraw from the Middle East, and that it is still committed to ensuring the security of its allies in the region.”
In an interview with “Walla!” in Tel Aviv, Kurilla said the threat of missile attacks and Iranian drones has become one of the most dangerous threats facing the US, Israel, and the Arab countries in the Middle East.
Accordingly, Washington wants to strengthen cooperation between Israel and Arab nations by coordinating warning, early intelligence and interception systems owned by these states.
