‘If Iran crosses a red line, it will find a united front that includes the US, Saudia Arabia & and the UAE launching missiles at Tehran.’
By: Nitsan Keidar
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said that “an Israeli attack on Iran is an existing possibility that is under discussion” in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Katz participated in the fifth Med Dialogues conference in Italy, according to an INN report.
“We will not allow Iranians to acquire nuclear weapons and if we are forced into a situation of no other choice – we will also respond with military force,” Katz said, as was reported by Israel National News.
According to the Foreign Minister, Iran should be aware of the consequences of all its activities. “If Iran crosses a red line, it will discover a united and firm front that includes the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launching hundreds of missiles at Tehran.”
INN reported that Katz revealed that Israel and Saudi Arabia are cooperating closely with the Iranians, but preferred not to elaborate on the issue. “We have common interests,” he agreed to say.
“The Iranian threat is not only directed against Israel or Saudi Arabia. Not only Germany, France and the United Kingdom have admitted to the UN Secretary-General that Iran is violating the nuclear agreement. There is a very broad front against the threats from Tehran,” he said.
The INN report said that Katz was also asked about the possibility of talks between Israel and Syria, and answered, “The dialogue with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cannot continue as long as his country allows Iranians to use its territory to attack Israel and other countries.”
During the conference, Katz met several foreign ministers and senior officials from various countries, including Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as was reported by INN. This was the pair’s second meeting, and the discussion centered around Iran’s presence in Syria and Israel’s need to remove Iran from the area. He also presented Lavror with a tentative plan to create an “artificial island” near Gaza.
During the meeting, Katz expressed hope that Russia would seriously consider Israel’s request that Russian President Vladimir Putin pardon Naama Issachar, a young Israeli woman sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for smuggling marijuana into Russian territory, according to the INN report.
Katz also requested that Issachar’s mother be allowed to visit her more often.
In his meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Katz spoke about Iran’s attempt to entrench itself in the area, and presented an initiative entitled, “The Tracks to Regional Peace.” INN reported that he invited Di Maio to visit Israel, and was told that Di Maio is interested in visiting Israel in January.
Another of the meetings was with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. In that meeting, Katz noted the need for increased trade between the two countries and the need to take steps to encourage it. He also presented Jaishankar with “The Tracks to Regional Peace.”
The two ministers also spoke about increasing cooperation between the two countries in the areas of water, agriculture, and technology. Minister Katz invited Jaishankar to visit Israel, and Jaishankar expressed interest in doing so during the coming year, and invited Katz to visit him in India. (Israel National News)
