Iranian government spokesman: Israel is ‘illegitimate element’ in Mideast

‘The Israeli regime is an unwanted and illegitimate element in the region,’ Ali Rabiyee said.

By World Israel News Staff

This weekend, an Iranian government spokesman said Israel is an “illegitimate element” in the Middle East, reports Iran’s Fars News Agency.

“The Israeli regime is an unwanted and illegitimate element in the region and its viewpoints are not crucial for Iran and the security of the Persian Gulf,” Ali Rabiyee said.

The Iranian news agency also reported that during last week’s 141st Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani urged those present to herald the grievances of the Palestinians.

“The plight of Palestine has undermined the Muslim World,” Larijani said at the Assembly, an organization which claims as its mission the promotion of democracy.

He also emphasized that Iran cannot be eliminated from the equation in Middle East security affairs.

On Oct. 10, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the rising Iranian threat to Israel at a memorial service for the IDF soldiers that died during the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

“The current focus of aggression in the Middle East is the Iranian regime in Tehran. Iran is striving to tighten its grip on Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said.

“Iran threatens to wipe us off the map. It says explicitly: ‘Israel will disappear’. Time and time again, it tries to attack us, so we must stand ready to protect ourselves from the danger,” he added.

The prime minister reaffirmed that under his leadership Israel will always protect itself preemptively from any threats levied upon the Jewish State.

“We always remember and apply the basic rule that guides us: Israel will defend itself, on its own, in the face of every threat. The IDF is prepared to preempt any threat, defensively and offensively, with its overwhelming power in weaponry and in spirit,” he said.