The head of Israel's National Security Council has joined the threats against Iran. Tzachi Hanegbi said Monday morning that "the prime minister made it clear to all world leaders that if we detect uranium enrichment above 60% then Israel will have no choice but to act." He added: " I don't think we gamble on our fate if this seems to be the Iranian policy. Let's hope we don't get to that moment, but we're preparing for it anyway."
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In an address to the annual conference of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT) at Reichman University, Hanegbi added that Israel recognizes Hezbollah leader Hassan "Nasrallah's decision to test our resilience. Maybe it's because of the internal crisis here, maybe for other reasons. We don't know how to psychologically or rationally identify the source, but it's clear that there is a string of defiant acts here. The last of them is the tent they set up" in Israeli territory near the border with Lebanon.
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National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi: if Israel detects Iran enriching uranium to above 60% "Israel will have no choice but to act"
(Photo: Go Live)
"Our message is clear - whoever thinks that Israel's determination is like a spider's web will feel on his neck that our determination is cast steel cables. This will be the result, as long as Hezbollah's moves are not stopped immediately."
The head of the National Security Council also referred to the talks between the US and Saudi Arabia on an agreement that would also include normalization with Israel, saying that the agreement that was announced at the G20 summit in the form of an economy corridor from India through Saudi Arabia to Israel "raises questions," adding: "We will continue to see if the US-Saudi discussions are successful . Israel in this context is only an interested observer and cannot influence things. When the day comes, if an Israeli-Saudi agreement is part of this development, we will want to influence it."
Hanegbi said that Israel is holding talks with the Palestinians, and noted that "we are trying to reach agreements with them - that if they take responsibility for their lives and the IDF will not have to step in in their place. This is the first dialogue of its kind in a decade, in which representatives of both Israel and the Palestinians actually sit down and talk very openly about what they would like to receive from the other."
He added that it is important for the Palestinians to be part of the conversation regarding normalization with Saudi Arabia, and that there are talks with them on this issue as well. Hanegbi and sent the Palestinians a message as well: "We cannot accept the campaign that the Palestinians are conducting to bring IDF soldiers to justice using the tools of an international legal campaign. We say to the Palestinians: if you succeed in bringing a soldier to the international courts - you endanger your very existence. It is a total violation of the agreements."
Benny Gantz, the head of the opposition National Unity Party and a former defense minister, also discussed the security situation in an address to the forum.
"Israel is under a multi-pronged attack, invloving Iran, which operates throughout the world, in Ukraine and the Middle East, which finances Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which seeks to create a circle of terror that surrounds Israel. In this context, an offensive policy must be implemented. We must act kinetically and directly against Iran and its proxies in the region, and beyond, in a way that will damage the terrorist infrastructure, and strengthen deterrence. All this while understanding and being prepared for the meanings of these actions," he said.
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Gantz said that the normalization with Saudi Arabia "includes a great opportunity to deal with terrorism. An agreement that will strengthen the moderate elements in the West Bank will weaken the terrorist organizations in in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, and will be good for Israel. I hear about those who talk about 'concessions to the Palestinians' and suggest that we all wait and see the outline. The same goes for the discourse on the Saudi nuclear issue, which needs to be examined responsibly and in closed rooms with security officials. I am troubled that extremist factions in the government may sabotage the agreement. We will support an agreement that will serve the broad interests of the State of Israel."