The “door to change in the entire Middle East” is now open, says Defense Minister.
By World Israel News Staff
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel is considering a wide range of options for a retaliatory strike against Iran, following an unprecedented attack last week in which the Islamic Republic launched some 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish State.
“Israel has capabilities to hit targets near and far — we have proved it. We will respond to the Iranian attack appropriately. We will not stand by and neither should the international community,” Gallant told CNN.
When asked about specific sites that Israel may target, Gallant said that “everything is on the table.”
He stressed the importance of Israel’s intensive campaign against Hezbollah, which saw the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and the crippling of the group’s military capabilities.
Weakening Hezbollah “has made a crack that now opens the door to change not just in Lebanon, but in the entire Middle East,” Gallant said.
The U.S. recently announced that Gallant is set to visit Washington meet with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, presumably to coordinate regarding Israel’s response to the Iranian attack.
While Washington initially said it would help Israel exact “serious consequences” against Iran for the missile barrage, President Joe Biden has made a number of statements in recent days apparently walking back that commitment.
Biden told a reporter that “the answer is no” when asked if he supported a potential Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear development sites.
Additionally, Biden stressed that he was opposed to an Israeli attack on Iran’s oil assets, which would punish the Islamic regime economically.
“If I were in [Israel’s] shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oilfields,” Biden said, without offering other potential targets.
Biden also claimed that Israel is obligated to respond “proportionately” to the attack, which is believed to be one of the largest ballistic missile barrages in history.