Israel has the capability to carry out a successful strike on Iran’s nuclear sites as early as “tomorrow”, the incoming Air Force chief said on Wednesday.
“Israel could successfully strike Iran's nuclear program tomorrow, if necessary,” said Major General Tomer Bar, who will command Israel’s air force in April, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“I have to assume it will happen in my time, and my shoulders already understand the weight of the responsibility,” he added.
He stressed that Israel can successfully destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities: “There is no way that we will operate there, one thousand kilometers from here, and I will return home without being able to say ‘I completed the mission.’”
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Currently, tensions are high over whether or not the Vienna talks to revive the abandoned 2015 Iran nuclear deal would succeed.
The US has long been saying that if diplomacy failed with Iran, it was willing to turn to “plan B”, without specifying details.
Meanwhile, Washington-ally Israel has grown impatient and has repeatedly announced it is preparing for a military strike on Iranian nuclear targets.
Hezbollah war
Bar believes that should Israel strike Iran, Lebanon’s Tehran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah will attack Tel Aviv.
“I have to assume that he [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah] will automatically be all in. Thirty years he has waited for this order and there is no way that he will not be there and with the highest intensity,” Bar said. “We have to be prepared for this.”
Bar stressed that a potential third war with Lebanon would result in Israel’s victory.
“Even Hezbollah… does not know how to imagine our power,” he said. “Maybe they will try to bring in special forces or shoot at the home front, but we are no longer on this scale. We want a clear victory this time, in a shorter time and with fewer losses.”
Read more:
Israel might take greater action against Iran, Tehran is now weak: Defense Minister
Iran vows sweeping response against any Israeli attacks on nuclear program
As nuclear talks resume, Israel PM says worried US is readying to lift Iran sanctions
