Israeli military official warns of possible nuclear ambitions in Egypt, Turkey

An Israeli military official has urged caution over what he described as possible nuclear ambitions among regional powers, including Egypt and Turkey.

Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the board of Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, a state-owned Israeli defence and military technology company, said Israel is preparing for the possibility that negotiations with Iran could collapse and escalate. However, he stressed what he called the “wider regional risks”.

Steinitz’s remarks come as tensions continue over Iran’s nuclear programme, ahead of the expected resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran in Geneva on Tuesday. There are still concerns that the United States could carry out military strikes.

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In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Steinitz said: “A country like Israel must worry about everything, and we must closely monitor other countries in the Middle East, such as Egypt and Turkey, to ensure they are not secretly developing nuclear weapons.”

He reaffirmed Israel’s long-standing position that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a greater threat than its current missile arsenal. “I would rather live under the threat of 10,000 ballistic missiles than under the threat of a single nuclear bomb,” he said, referring to Iran.

Steinitz also said that Israel’s multi-layered air defence system “will intercept any attack”. 

He added that he expects the United States to play a greater operational role in any future conflict, pointing to US air bases near Iran and aircraft carriers that could help target missile systems.

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