'Israel' says it is aware what 'Iran is trying to build around us'
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The Israeli occupation's Chief of Staff claims that the occupation has the ability to strike Iran if it so wished in the event of an escalation.
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Fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, Sunday, May 21, 2023 (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Israeli occupation knows what Iran is up to, said Tuesday Major General Herzi Halevi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli occupation forces.
"There are possible negative developments on the horizon that could prompt action," Halevi told the annual conference at the occupation's Reichman University, as quoted by Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS.
The Israeli top security official underlined that the occupation is "not indifferent to what Iran is trying to build around us, and it is difficult for Iran to be indifferent to the line we are taking", hinting at Tehran building a nuclear weapon despite Iran never showing any intentions to develop nuclear weapons.
Halevi also said any upcoming battle in the North, i.e., with Lebanon, would be very difficult for the Israeli occupation.
He also warned against Hezbollah's growing capabilities in Lebanon, describing the resistance movement as a main threat to the Israeli occupation.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said earlier in May in an address to the Washington Institute think tank that the US has "made clear to Iran that it can never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon."
"As President [Joe] Biden has repeatedly reaffirmed, he will take the actions necessary to stand by this statement, including by recognizing Israel’s freedom of action," Sullivan said.
This comes although Iran has affirmed more than once that it has the technical ability to produce an atomic bomb, it does not intend to do so, confirming the peacefulness of its nuclear program.
It is noteworthy that the American think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft had previously pointed to the biased English-language media coverage, which seeks to establish in the minds of audiences that Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
According to the institute, over the past 12 years, English-language media has mentioned the word Iran or Iranian alongside the word nuclear or atomic an average of 1.46 times per million words of newsprint.
Read more: Israeli nuclear program serious threat to international security: Iran
The Israeli occupation has previously admitted to having nuclear weapons, with former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Ehud Barak clearly acknowledging the fact that "Israel" possessed nuclear weapons.
It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation challenged the UN Security Council Resolution 487 of June 1981, which required "Tel Aviv" to urgently submit all of its nuclear facilities to the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On September 18, 2009, the IAEA issued a resolution calling on 'Israel" to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as open its facilities to international inspection, though the occupation did not express any interest in the matter.
The UN General Assembly invited the Israeli occupation to become a treaty member in December 2009 following a resolution dubbed "Establishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Region of the Middle East." Though 167 countries voted in favor of the resolution, the Israeli occupation refused to acquiesce in it. Furthermore, "Israel" skipped the 2010 nuclear summit in Washington.
The First Committee of the UN General Assembly also ruled in October 2022 in an initial 152-5 decision that "Israel" must destroy all its nuclear weapons and submit its nuclear facilities to the control of the IAEA.
