File image.
Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on August 14 hinted at the possibility of launching another attack on Iran.
During a speech at a military ceremony at the Glilot base in central Israel, Zamir said that the Israeli military was ready to repeat its strike on Iran if necessary.
Israel launched a surprise attack against Iran on June 13, stating that its goal was to cripple the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. The war ended when a ceasefire was suddenly announced on June 24, just two days after the United States joined the war by attacking three Iranian nuclear sites.
“We struck Iran and its axis, whose declared aim was our destruction,” Israel’s military chief said.
“We launched a preemptive war to remove an existential threat that had recently developed, before it became an actual threat,” he added.
Zamir went on to say that the 12-day war on Iran sent a clear message that Israel “would not allow its enemies to become stronger with capabilities that will endanger its existence and will be willing to pay a heavy price to ensure its existence and future.”
“If necessary, we will know how to act again with precision, intensity and lethality,” he emphasized.
Despite this clear threat by Israel’s military chief, Iran’s Foreign Minister on the same day stated that war with Israel was not imminent.
“As an international relations expert with 40 years of experience in this field, I do not believe (another) war is imminent,” Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state TV when asked about the possibility of resumed war with Israel.
“However, the officials responsible for a possible war, the armed forces, and the government should not rely solely on my opinion,” he added.
Israel maintains the capability to attack Iran. At the same time, there have been no real diplomatic efforts, especially between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., to address the root causes of the conflict. Due to these factors, Zamir’s threat should be taken seriously.
An attack is not likely around the corner. However, from now on, any escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen, both close allies of Iran, could quickly develop into a direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
Iran is already working on rebuilding its air defenses, boosting its missile capabilities and reforming its security service. While these measures are important, they will not likely deter Israel as it could always drag in the U.S. for help, as it did during the last war.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
