Arad: We're paying price for Mughniyah
Former National Security advisor Uzi Arad discusses consequences of ongoing battle with Iran, says 'cost' of battle can still be minimized
Paying the price in blood? "Anybody with eyes in their head can see we are in the middle of an escalation orchestrated by various elements, and where occasionally, we are the instigating side. We hurt Imad Mughniyah a few years ago and mostly we are in a battle against Iran," former National Security Advisor Uzi Arad said Thursday
Arad, speaking with Army Radio in reaction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointing a finger at Iran over Wednesday's terror attack in Bulgaria, was referring the alleged Israeli connection to Mughniyah's death, as alluded by foreign media sources.
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"All the signs are pointing to Iran. Only in the past few months we've seen Iran try to target Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Cyprus and more," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following the deadly terror attack on a bus in carrying Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria.
High price? Burgas terror attack (Photo: Avigdor Stern)
In the interview Arad was asked whether those who are privy to intelligence information can say who was responsible for attacks hours after the incident. He explained that this was not the state of things.
According to Arad, "We are in a battle against Iran. We are an active side. We are not passive. The opposing side, which is of course deserving of the campaign we are running against it, is a defensive side, it deters, it is also an attacking side…You don't need intelligence for that. Any person with eyes in their head understands that this is what is behind us and ahead of us."
Arad addressed the Iranian responses to Israeli operations: "They did it before, they have proved that they have better operational capabilities and less successful capabilities. They work in the field and both intelligence and strategic logic say that this is how Iran will act.
"And the closer the sword gets to its neck, the more it will need to both deter and say that these acts are acts of retaliation which it will take."
He warned: "This is why we need to prepare strategically otherwise, without saying 'we'll wait for the golden piece of intelligence that will come at the last minute.' The strategic intelligence alert is on the wall. Now the question is, when is it Iran itself, when is it Iran using its ally Hezbollah and when is it a third party that joined the party and could be Hamas or (a source in) Sinai."
Arad declared that "the price of an event like yesterday's is not just in the tragedy it caused, the loss of life and the pain… it is diplomatic costs, governmental costs and the price is just getting higher. Those costs can be minimized."
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