Israel has increased activities to take action against Iran: General Kochavi

Jerusalem: ‘Israel has intensified its moves to take action against Iran. A large portion of the recently announced defence spending has been set aside for this. This is a very complex action that can put the intelligence to test, and this could require more weapons,’ said Major General Aviv Kochavi, Israel’s Defence Chief. At the same time, Kochavi said Israel’s goal was to reduce the Iranian influence in the Gulf.

The whole world’s attention is now focused on what is happening in Afghanistan. Taking advantage of this, Houthis in Yemen, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, have stepped up their operations. The Houthis launched ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabian fuel projects and military bases. Hezbollah and Hamas have launched attacks on the Israeli border. But Israel has not ignored the actions of Iran and its affiliates, Defence Chief Major General Kochavi told the Israeli news agency.

Kochavi said that Israel’s main goal was to curb Iran’s nuclear program. To that end, Israel has stepped up its military readiness by expanding its intelligence systems. ‘Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is not Israel’s only goal. Israel aims to reduce the Iranian influence in the Gulf region,’ Kochavi said.

For this, the head of the Israeli Defence Forces mentioned the action in Syria against Iran and terrorist organisations affiliated with Iran. The Israeli military has reduced the threat to Israeli security by launching airstrikes from the Syrian border. But Israel will continue to reduce Iranian influence, like with the Hamas and Hezbollah, in other parts of the Gulf, said Major General Kochavi.

The warning given to Iran by Israel’s Defence Chief is significant. A few days ago, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned that Israel would have to take military action to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran will build an atomic bomb in the next two months, Gantz claimed. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also expressed concerns over the Iranian nuclear program. In such a scenario, the warning given by Israel’s Defence Chief to intensify action against Iran is significant.

Meanwhile, just last week, the Israeli and US navies conducted exercises in the Red Sea area. The navies of both the countries had announced that this was a historical exercise. It was attended by warships from the US Fifth Fleet.