Speaking to Channel 12 News on Friday, Tzachi Hanegbi said that in such a situation, Netanyahu “will act, in my estimation, to destroy the nuclear facilities in Iran.” Hanegbi, a longtime Likud MK and former minister who is not expected to make it to the next Knesset (after placing 46 in the party’s primary vote), has made threats of a possible Israeli attack in the past to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. energy weapon. Hanegbi said on Friday that dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat was “a fire that has been burning inside him for more than 25 years”. He estimated that if no action is taken, “Israel for the first time will be faced with a regime with nuclear weapons” and said that Netanyahu “will not reconcile with a nuclear Iran.” “In my estimation, he will have no choice [but to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities]: This is the story of 1981: Begin? 2007: Olmert? 2022…” (Prime Minister Menachem authorized the 1981 strike that destroyed Saddam Hussein’s Osiraq nuclear reactor; Prime Minister Ehud Olmert oversaw the 2007 strike on Syria’s Al Kibar reactor.) Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Asked if Netanyahu had actually told him of such plans, Hanegbi said: “It is my assessment, based on more than 35 years of knowing Netanyahu… When there is no choice, someone has to take charge — it will be Netanyahu ». In January 2021, Hanegbi warned that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear program if the United States rejoins the nuclear deal. “The practical result will be that Israel will once again be on its own against Iran, which by the end of the deal will have received the green light from the world, including the United States, to continue its nuclear weapons program.” Hanegby said next. Kan news interview. “Of course we won’t allow that.” In February of that year, Hanegbi said that the US would never attack Iran’s nuclear program and that Israel might have to act alone. Hanegbi has served in several ministries in past Likud-led governments, including regional cooperation, agriculture, public security, transport, justice and the environment. He has yet to say what his future plans are after his expected departure from the Knesset. Israel’s Air Force has long been preparing for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, although it is not clear that it has the capability to disable the Islamic Republic’s well-protected facilities on its own. The IAF has been practicing strikes in Iran to prepare a credible military threat against Tehran’s nuclear facilities. An F-35 aircraft maneuvers during a graduation ceremony for pilots who have completed the IAF flight program, at Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev Desert, December 26, 2018. (Aharon Krohn/Flash90/File) After the US-Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015, Israel put the issue of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear program on the back burner, allowing the IDF to invest its resources elsewhere. However, after the US scrapped the nuclear deal in 2018 and Iran’s subsequent violations of the deal since then, the issue has taken on new importance for Israel, which sees an Iranian nuclear bomb as a near-existential threat. IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said earlier this year that the military “continues to vigorously prepare for an attack on Iran and must prepare for every development and every scenario.” In addition to finding ways to strike Iranian facilities buried deep underground, which require specialized munitions and tactics, the Israeli Air Force would have to contend with increasingly sophisticated Iranian air defenses in order to carry out such a strike. The military should also prepare for expected retaliation against Israel by Iran and its allies across the region. While US President Joe Biden made returning to the nuclear deal a priority upon taking office and the sides at one point appeared to be on the verge of a deal, negotiations have stalled amid new Iranian demands and US officials recently said a agreement is unlikely in the near future. You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
