Israel’s defence minister has stated that Iran is a bigger threat to Israel than ISIS, saying that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and “terror infrastructure” make them Israel’s number one enemy.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told a conference in Tel Aviv that “Iran is our main enemy,” and faced with having to choose between Iran and ISIS in an open conflict, he would “prefer ISIS.”
RT.com reports:
The logic seems simple, as IS will be eventually be defeated, while Iran continues to pose a threat with its new rapprochement with the West.
“[Tehran] is a rogue regime with designs on a regional hegemony. Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy, with the ability to declare war. Iran currently has terror infrastructure in place in five continents: Asia, Africa, Europe and both in South and North America,” Ya’alon explained, refuting IDF’s chief’s claims at the conference that new opportunities could arise as a result of the nuclear agreement reached in July 2015 between Iran and a group of world powers, the P5+1.
שר הביטחון @bogie_yaalon: “איראן פועלת בשנתיים האחרונות לפתוח חזית בגולן מאזור שנשלט ע”י המשטר הסורי בלבד” pic.twitter.com/10U5cYyUIk
— INSS (@INSSIsrael) January 19, 2016
.@bogie_yaalon: #Iran has become central player because of the #nucleardeal and has escaped international isolation #inss2016 — INSS (@INSSIsrael) January 19, 2016
.@bogie_yaalon: We believe that #ISIS territorial control in #Iraq and #Syria will be crushed. May move to #Libya #inss2016
— INSS (@INSSIsrael) January 19, 2016
“We believe ISIS will be eventually defeated territoriality after the blows it has been suffering, and in light of the attacks on its oil reserves,” Ya’alon said.
But a final victory over IS will only come if world powers support a ground offensive by focusing to “strengthen local forces with ‘boots on the ground,’ like the Kurds are doing,” he added.