Israeli military chief warns of action against Iran-Xinhua

Israeli military chief warns of action against Iran

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-05-23 22:03:00

JERUSALEM, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military chief of staff said on Tuesday that "negative developments on the horizon" could prompt Israel to take action against Iran.

At a security conference held at the Reichman University in Herzliya outside Tel Aviv, Herzi Halevi said that Iran, which Israel views as its arch-foe, "has progressed in recent years with enriching uranium more than ever before."

"There are negative potential trends on the horizon which could lead to actions -- we have the capabilities," Halevi said, without specifying the trends.

Halevi accused Iran of being connected to "everyone" who is against Israel, providing them with strategic and intelligence support, as well as funding.

Israel "has the capability to strike Iran," he added.

Halevi's remarks come a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the same conference that the number of airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria "has doubled" since December last year. He did not elaborate on the exact number of strikes.

"As part of this campaign, we are working methodically to strike the Iranian intelligence capabilities in Syria," he said. "These strikes inflict significant damage to the attempts by the Revolutionary Guards to establish a foothold a few kilometers from the Israeli border," he added.

Israel has been a vocal opponent of the efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying the move will only enable Iran to develop nuclear weapons without the burden of the sanctions.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.