Iran real threat to 'Israel', IOF intelligence directorate chief says
The commander of the Israeli military intelligence directorate underlines that Iran constitutes a real threat to the Israeli occupation.
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A missile system is carried during Iranian Army Day parade in front of the mausoleum of the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini just outside Tehran, Iran, April 18, 2023 (AP)
Iran is the real threat to "Israel", and the conflict with it has become direct, said Major General Aharon Haliva, the commander of the Israeli occupation forces' Military Intelligence Directorate on Monday.
"The conflict with Iran has turned into a direct conflict," Haliva said, noting that the conflict in question was "in several areas, not just the nuclear field."
"The possibility of escalation, which could deteriorate into war, is not low," the Israeli top military official underlined.
The normalization agreements, he said, "are of utmost strategic importance in every criterion related to Israel's national security."
"Israel must conduct an in-depth analysis of its position in the region," he added.
The Israeli occupation's relationship with the United States, Halevi added, as well as its ability to coordinate with Washington and their common interests in the region are of paramount value, the Israeli official concluded.
Israeli strategic affairs expert Yoni Ben-Menachem said Sunday that Iran was "pursuing a new strategy in the Middle East that is based on settling differences with Arab countries with the aim of isolating Israel and harming the normalization process."
Iran "continues to challenge Israel, strengthen armed organizations, and wage a multi-front war of attrition against it," the expert underlined.
Moreover, Former Israeli occupation security advisor Yaakov Amidror in April considered that war with Iran was increasingly probable, pointing out that "Israel" needs to prepare an attack without the help of the United States.
"We need to prepare for war. It’s possible that we will reach a point where we have to attack Iran even without American assistance," Amidror told Radio 103 FM.
According to the former Israeli advisor, "Iran is more sure of itself. It has managed to sign a number of agreements with Arab states. The world is starting to look different," referring to the agreements signed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to restore diplomatic ties with Iran.
The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said earlier that the Israeli occupation was facing challenges and an unprecedented series of crises.
The General Staff stressed that the countdown to the collapse of the Israeli occupation has begun, and it will not exist in the not-too-distant future.
It added that experience has proven that normalizing relations with the Israeli occupation is a failed step.
Moreover, this comes at a time when the Israeli occupation is highly concerned about Iran's growing regional stature and amid concerns from "Tel Aviv" about the occupation's faltering plans of an "anti-Iran axis" amid rapprochement between Iran and regional powers.
The Israeli occupation considers that the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is deeply concerning and is a major blow to the plans of the entity and the United States, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said.
"Tel Aviv and Washington in the past years hoped to exploit the rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran in order to establish an Israeli-Arab axis against Iran's efforts to create a nuclear weapon" and considered that "the announcement of the agreement, which was achieved with the mediation of China, dealt a severe blow to these hopes."
