Israel DM slams army chief’s public threats to Iran

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday slammed Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, for publicly criticising the United States and threatening to attack Iran.

“A nuclear Iran is a danger to the world, to the region, and is a challenge to the security of Israel. Of course, Israel must be prepared to defend itself in any way, but red lines are drawn in closed rooms,” Gantz told reporters.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kochavi said a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, or a “slightly improved” one, would be an operational and strategic mistake for the world.

READ: IDF chief of staff criticised for challenging US over Iran

Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) annual conference in Tel Aviv, the Israeli general warned that if Iran’s progress in developing advanced centrifuges and enriching uranium is not stopped, it could eventually be “only weeks” away from a nuclear bomb.

Kochavi claimed in his speech that he had ordered the army’s competent departments to prepare operational plans to strike Iran’s nuclear program, if necessary.