On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked by Ynet news whether Israel was ready to strike Iran. Gantz answered simply with one word – “Yes”.
The minister went on to say that Tel Aviv sees it as important to mobilize the international community to counter Iran’s influence and growing assertiveness. “We can’t tag Iran as solely an Israeli problem and absolve the rest of the world from this issue.”
When questioned, Gantz confirmed that he was talking about the allied nations supporting military action against Iran. “The world needs to deal with Iran, the region needs to deal with Iran, and Israel also needs to do its part in this situation,”he asserted.
On Wednesday, Gantz, along with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, identified who they believe to be the leader behind last week’s deadly drone attack, which killed two seamen on an Israeli oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
“Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Air Force, is behind dozens of terror attacks in the region employing UAVs and missiles,” Gantz stated during a briefing at the Foreign Ministry.
The defense minister also claimed Iran was just 10 weeks away from having enough fissile material to produce a nuclear bomb, also known as ‘breakout time’.
Read more: Israel is ready to strike Iran, says defense minister, amid simmering tensions with enduring foe
