After Iran’s top diplomat threatened to lift its prohibition on nuclear development if Western sanctions were reinstated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Thursday that Israel will do “everything” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
As Iran gets ready to resume important nuclear discussions with European nations on Friday, the increased verbal sparring between the Middle East’s adversaries has been overshadowed by their decision to join Washington in having the UN atomic watchdog reprimand Tehran.
“I will do everything to prevent it from becoming a nuclear (power), I will use all the resources that can be used,” Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 in an interview.
The only, if unstated, nuclear-armed state in the region is Israel. Its major defence goal has historically been to keep any opponent from matching it.
Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that Israel would be able to concentrate on Iran thanks to the truce that was implemented in Lebanon the next day. He didn’t specify the course of action he had in mind.
Over the past year, Iran has fired two missile barrages towards Israel in retribution for the deaths of an Iranian general and Hamas and Hezbollah commanders.
Both times, Israel retaliated against Iran with limited strikes; on October 26, it most recently bombed a number of military locations.
Tehran responded defiantly to last week’s jab at the International Atomic Energy Agency, but its officials have since indicated that they are open to working with others before US president-elect Donald Trump returns. Trump’s previous administration implemented a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran.
