‘Israel will be forced to attack Iran soon,’ says former DM

An Israeli strike on Iran will happen in the near future, says former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel will need to directly attack Iran “in the near future,” former defense minister Yoav Gallant said at a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at the holiday event in Ramat Gan, Gallant said that the losses suffered by Hezbollah and Hamas during the ongoing war had weakened Iran.

Gallant said that Israel will partner with the U.S. on missions to eliminate the Yemen-based Houthi leadership and their weapons depots.

These joint operations are “preparation for future action we will need to take against Iran,” he said.

He added that a strike on Iran would happen “in the near future.”

It is Israel’s “duty” to “remove the threat” of Iran and its proxies, Gallant stressed.

The former defense minister noted that the ongoing holiday of Hanukkah commemorates an unlikely military triumph.

“There is nothing like the holiday of Hanukkah that shows the victory of spirit over might, the victory of the few over the many, and the legacy of heroism – which began in those days and continues today,” Gallant said.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, the Mossad intelligence agency is urging a decisive strike against Iran rather than focusing military assets on fighting the Houthis.

“We need to go head-on against Iran,” Mossad head David Barnea was quoted as saying by Channel 13 News. “If we only attack the Houthis, it’s not certain that we’ll be able to stop them.”

Other reports quoted Barnea as emphasizing the importance of going after the “head of the snake,” arguing that the Houthis are doing the Iranians’ bidding.

According to the report, Netanyahu said that an attack on Iran is a “different issue,” which will be dealt with “at the appropriate time.”