Middle East Monitor / October 31, 2021
Israeli General Tal Kalman said Israel was ‘preparing for other scenarios’ if it could not go down the diplomatic route with Iran, The Times of Israel reported.
In an interview with Bahrain’s Al-Ayam newspaper, Kalman claimed that Israel would prefer the ‘diplomatic’ route, but has said if diplomacy fails, Israel would take other action, suggesting contingency plans of military strikes.
Kalman insisted that Iran’s nuclear program was a threat to Israel and indeed the entire world, because it would drive other countries in the Middle East to attempt to obtain nuclear weapons.
He said: “We still believe in the need for a diplomatic solution and we believe that with the correct moves, which must be rigid – some of which have not yet been tried and some of which are diplomatic efforts – it is possible to return Iran to the negotiating table.”
Israel is believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, having never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, preferring to remain ambiguous about its nuclear program.
On Saturday Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi claimed the government would have the full backing of his party if they decided to militarily strike Iran.
This comes amid talks of rekindling the 2015 nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran, with the US citing ‘grave concerns’ about Tehran’s nuclear activities.
Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. A year later Tehran began to pull out of terms of the agreement, citing America’s actions to violate it.
