Latest news with #IsraelDefense
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Israeli defense minister urges US to make ‘final blow' in Iran
(NewsNation) — Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urges President Trump to help deliver the coup de grâce to Iran's nuclear infrastructure but says he understands if the American leader needs more time to decide. The White House on Thursday said Trump would decide within the next two weeks whether to strike Iran — presumably, to have U.S. forces take out the Fordow nuclear fortress that is beyond Israel's military capabilities — or opt for diplomacy. 'Israel made, I would say, huge progress towards eliminating the Iranian (nuclear) program, but the final blow should be an American one,' Gallant told 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports.' Israel will go it alone in Iran, if necessary: Ambassador Israel began launching targeted military strikes against Iran on June 12 in an attempt, the country said, to disable its enemy's rapidly approaching acquisition of nuclear weapons. Israel said it had made major progress toward that end, but destroying Fordow remains an elusive goal. Iran continues to send missiles to broader targets in Israel, which has not been able to shoot down all of the projectiles. Some speculate Israel may be running low on interceptor rockets, begging the question whether it can hold out as Trump makes his decision on Iran. 'Whether it's a week or two weeks, it doesn't make the difference,' Gallant said. 'I believe the president will do the right thing.' He said Iran is the one that is feeling pressure after a week of targeted strikes, while 'the Israeli people are very strong and resilient.' Iran has warned the U.S. against military involvement in the conflict, and some within Trump's Republican base oppose American intervention in the Middle East. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Israel believes it has proof Iran is close to a nuclear weapon. Others doubt it
This time, Israel's fears over Iran's intention to build a nuclear bomb really may be valid. Or not. And for better or worse, it will be U.S. President Donald Trump making the decision about what facts to accept or to reject. For most of his nearly 20 years leading Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stoking international concerns that his country faces the threat of "nuclear annihilation" if Iran is able to build an atomic weapon. As early as 1996, he proclaimed: "Time is running out." Sixteen years later, in 2012, Netanyahu stood before the UN with an almost cartoon-like drawing of a round bomb with a lit fuse, urging the international community to stop Iran's ayatollahs before it was too late. Finally, seven nights ago, Netanyahu gave the order to attack Iran directly, stating that the mission is to take out Iran's institutions, facilities and scientists related to its nuclear program. "If not stopped, Iran could take steps to produce a weapon in a very short time," Netanyahu said in a video statement justifying his decision. Israel's sweeping campaign of airstrikes in and around Tehran has wiped out the top tier of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds. Iranian retaliatory strikes, meanwhile, have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. But finishing the job of destroying Iran's nuclear program may be beyond Israel's capabilities. With some key components and facilities fortified up to 80 metres underground, it may require weaponry and heavy bombs possessed only by the U.S. Trump — under intense pressure domestically from many Republicans who want him to intervene, and perhaps an equal number who want him to stay out of the fight — said Thursday he'll make a decision within the next two weeks on what course to take, to give diplomacy with Iran more time. At least one former top Israeli intelligence official believes the evidence of both Iran's capability and intent to produce such a weapon of mass destruction is incontrovertible. "I think the last report of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) says that Iran has more than 400 kilograms of 60 per cent enriched uranium, which, if you enrich it to 90+, is enough for 10 nuclear devices," said Sima Shine, a former officer at Israel's spy agency Mossad who is now with the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. The only outstanding issue was Iran's willingness to build a bomb, she said, given that such a move would surely invite a devastating Israeli response. "Our impression was that in the last year, the interest of Iran to go the extra mile and actually reach a nuclear, military nuclear capability has changed, if we compare to its previous use," Shine told CBC News. She said since the Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel, Israeli attacks have critically weakened Iran's key proxy militias in Gaza and Lebanon — Hamas and Hezbollah. That's left Iran deeply weakened, she said, forcing the ayatollahs to change Iran's calculations about the necessity of building a nuclear weapon to project-strength. Military enrichment? Other Iran watchers in the West share Shine's assessment. "There is no purpose at all for having that level of nuclear enrichment and that stock of enriched uranium other than military," said John Sawers, former chief of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service MI6, speaking to the BBC. Israeli authorities have suggested their own intelligence efforts have also turned up proof of Iran's intentions, beyond what the IAEA has reported. Quoting unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal said Israeli agents learned of Iran's interest in developing and perfecting chain-reaction explosions, which are required for nuclear weapons. Megan Sutcliffe, an analyst with the private intelligence firm Sibylline, said that beyond the actual manufacture of a nuclear device, it's also possible the Iranians were working on improving missiles and rockets that could carry a bomb. "The IAEA does not monitor this," she said. "And so the intelligence that Israel is likely referring to is something to do with Iran possibly making strides toward testing the viability of some form of delivery system." Doubts persist Still, in the absence of that information being shared publicly, doubts persist about both Iran's intentions and its capabilities. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, told Congress earlier this year that U.S. intelligence agencies did not believe Iran had made a decision to weaponize its nuclear program. The Washington-based Arms Control Association, a think-tank that promotes arms control and diplomacy, issued a statement earlier this week, denouncing any U.S. involvement in Israel's war against Iran. "There was no imminent threat that Iran was weaponizing its nuclear program before Israel's attack began," it wrote. The group argued U.S. intervention could have the opposite effect — strengthening Tehran's resolve and leading it to weaponize its nuclear program, if it is not completely destroyed or is eventually rebuilt. And while the chief of the IAEA ruled last week that Iran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for a lack of disclosure, Raphael Grossi also said the global nuclear watchdog had seen no evidence that Iran's enriched uranium was being steered toward military or non-civilian purposes. "We cannot say that we at the IAEA have enough credible elements which would be pointing directly at this," he said. In an interview with CBC News, Iran's ambassador in Geneva reiterated his country's right to have a nuclear program and to develop enriched uranium from it. "There is no evidence of Iran moving toward military nuclear activities," said Ali Bahreini. "Our nuclear activities are peaceful." Enriched uranium can also be used to produce medical isotopes or as fuel for nuclear power plants. WATCH | About That on how the U.S. might be pulled into the Israel-Iran war: How deep will the U.S. be pulled into the Israel-Iran war? | About That 2 hours ago Duration 25:38 U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently denied his country's involvement in the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran. But Andrew Chang explains the role the U.S. has already played. Then, Will South Korea's new leader save the country? Israel's nuclear program Israel is widely believed to have had its own nuclear weapon capabilities for several decades, although the country's official policy is deliberate ambiguity with regards to the existence of such a program. "Essentially, it is widely acknowledged that Israel does have a nuclear arsenal and that they also have … a nuclear submarine, which gives them a second-strike capability; the ability to respond to a nuclear weapon being fired toward them," said Sutcliffe. Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has not accepted IAEA safeguards on some of its principal nuclear activities, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation notes. The Washington-based group also notes that "the lack of clarity surrounding an Israeli nuclear weapons program is a key obstacle to establishing a weapons of mass destruction free zone in the Middle East." Nonetheless, most countries — including Israel's current and historic adversaries — have generally accepted the country's nuclear policies. Sutcliffe said she believes the different treatment between Iran and Israel on their nuclear programs stems from long-standing, repeated statements from Iran's leaders about their intent to destroy Israel, if given the opportunity. "Iran has characterized itself as being a threat to Israel — both through its direct actions, but also through its support of proxies to threaten Israel," she said. Iran's leadership has expressed strong support for Palestinians being free of Israeli occupation, and it was a strong financial and military supporter of Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, however, has repeatedly said Iran's support of Hamas has not helped the Palestinian cause, nor been beneficial to the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. For both Trump and Netanyahu, the decision over which intelligence and analysis to go with will have immense consequences — for Israel and far beyond. Gershon Baskin, a longtime advocate for peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Israelis and fierce Netanyahu opponent, said he believes that most Israelis hope Trump jumps into the war on their side. "They're living this kind of hubris that Israel can do whatever it wants, wherever it wants, at any time," said Baskin referring to public sentiment over the damage Israel's military has inflicted on Iran's nuclear facilities and the assassinations of its nuclear scientists. But he cautioned domestic politics could shift quickly against Netayahu and his efforts to reign in his Iranian enemies, should his calculations over damaging Iran's nuclear program backfire.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Israel could attempt to destroy Iran's Fordow nuclear facility
Israel could attempt to damage or destroy Iran's Fordow nuclear facility by deploying a team of special forces if the US is unwilling to deploy its 'bunker-busting' bombs, an official has claimed. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), buried deep beneath the mountains near the holy city of Qom, is one of Iran's most secretive and heavily fortified nuclear facilities. Enrichment centrifuges housed within its secured chambers are capable of producing uranium at near-weapons-grade levels, and access to the site is tightly controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Built in defiance of international pressure and revealed to the world only after Western intelligence agencies exposed its existence in 2009, the site was constructed some 90 metres (285ft) underground to shield it from aerial bombardment. Only the US has the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) munitions capable of reaching the facility, but Trump on Wednesday said: 'We have the capability to do it, but that doesn't mean I am going to do it.' Hours later, a US official told Axios that Israel had informed the Trump administration that while they may not be able to reach deep enough into the mountain with bombs, they may 'do it with humans'. This raises the prospect of a daring boots-on-the-ground operation - and one that is not without precedent. In September, Israeli special forces deployed to Masyaf in Syria where they conducted a raid on an underground missile production facility they claimed was 'the flagship of Iranian manufacturing efforts in our region'. And Israel's Mossad spy agency has proven its capability to operate on Iranian soil, having constructed a clandestine base of attack drones used to sabotage Iran's air defence systems prior to Friday's initial assault. But Fordow is one of Iran's most prized and protected nuclear assets, and any Israeli military operation would surely be met with huge resistance. Israeli Defence Forces Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters earlier this year about the special forces' bold operation to destroy the missile production site in Syria. 'This facility was designed to manufacture hundreds of strategic missiles per year from start to finish, for Hezbollah to use in their aerial attacks on Israel,' he said. The plant, dug into a mountainside, had been under observation by Israel since construction began in 2017. The IDF claimed it was on the point of being able to manufacture precision-guided missiles, some with a range of up to 300km (190 miles). 'This ability was becoming active, so we're talking about an immediate threat,' Lt. Col. Shoshani said. Shoshani added that the nighttime raid was 'one of the more complex operations the IDF has done in recent years'. Accompanied by airstrikes, it involved dozens of aircraft and around 100 helicopter-borne troops, he said. 'At the end of the raid, the troops dismantled the facility, including the machines and the manufacturing equipment, themselves,' he claimed. However, there is no telling whether Israeli special forces could pull off the same feat in an attack on Fordow. Since launching the first round of attacks on Friday, Israel's warplanes have now struck hundreds of targets linked to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and Israeli military officials boasted the Islamic Republic's military leaders were 'on the run'. Despite Israel's early success, questions have already arisen over whether the Jewish state is capable of reaching its targets as described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . Speaking on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel was 'pursuing three main objectives' in Iran: 'The elimination of the nuclear programme, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism.' But many analysts believe Jerusalem is incapable of achieving those aims unless its most powerful ally decides to enter the fray. 'Without active US military participation, Israel's operational ceiling remains constrained,' Dr Andreas Krieg, an expert in Middle East security and senior lecturer at King's College London's School of Security Studies, told MailOnline. So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear sites and has damaged the Natanz FEP. But Israeli security officials confirmed earlier this week that the air force has not attempted any strikes on Fordow. To have any hope of eliminating it without resorting to its own nuclear weapons - or if an elite commando raid is deemed unlikely to succeed - Israel would need to harness the power of some of the world's most powerful conventional bombs. The 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a US-made bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets, could manage to take Fordow out. This terrifying munition can penetrate some 200 feet (61 meters) below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. In theory, the MOP could be dropped by any plane capable of carrying the weight. But Israel has neither the bomb, nor the capability to deliver it. 'Only the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is capable of deploying the MOP,' Krieg explained. 'Without these assets, Israel's capacity to destroy the core of Iran's enrichment infrastructure is severely limited.' And, even if Fordow could be destroyed, a successful strike would not erase Iran's nuclear ambitions, according to Krieg. 'The fundamental challenge remains that Iran's nuclear programme is not just a collection of facilities. It is also a body of knowledge, personnel, and dispersed technical infrastructure. Much of the scientific expertise survives the bombings. Iran has long decentralised and concealed aspects of its programme precisely in anticipation of such scenarios. This means that unless there is sustained international pressure, robust inspections, and political change within Iran, the regime can, and likely would, rebuild over time thanks to its scientific base and global black-market procurement networks,' Krieg said. Krieg also claimed that continued attacks by Israel may have the opposite of their intended effect. Going after Iran's nuclear programme could 'reinforce Tehran's belief that a nuclear deterrent is not only justified but essential for regime survival'. 'Rather than halting Iran's nuclear trajectory, the strikes may serve as a powerful vindication of the logic that drives Iran's long-term nuclear ambition - deterrence through capability,' he said. Tehran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful and that it has never intended to make a bomb, despite the fears of Israel and the West . However, its ever-growing stockpile of enriched uranium – needed to produce an atomic weapon – had triggered major concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, said Iran's activity was a 'matter of serious concern'. On June 12, the day before Israel's sudden attack, the IAEA ruled that Iran was in breach of its safeguard obligations. Iran criticised the 'politically motivated' decision, announcing it would bolster its nuclear programme with a new enrichment facility in a 'secure location'.
LBCI
19 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Iran's Khamenei 'will be held accountable' over hospital strike: Israeli minister
Israel's defense minister said Thursday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be "held accountable" after an Iranian strike on a hospital in Israel, adding he had ordered the army to "intensify strikes" on the Islamic republic. "These are some of the most serious war crimes -- and Khamenei will be held accountable for his actions," Israel Katz said, adding that he and the prime minister ordered the military "to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran and against the power infrastructure in Tehran, to eliminate the threats to the state of Israel and to shake the Ayatollahs' regime." AFP
Forbes
a day ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Recipe For A More Peaceful World: Help Israel Fight Iran And Sufficiently Arm Ukraine
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: The Iranian army launches retaliatory strikes in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 13, 2025. (Photo by Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images While the world is riveted on Israel's heroic, necessary war against the evil Iranian regime, the U.S. must not undermine Ukraine. The next few weeks will profoundly affect the future security of the U.S. and the Free World. The immediate question is whether the Israelis with appropriate American support will fully finish off Iran's nuclear program, including the elimination of the mullahs' ballistic missiles and missile launchers and the regime's capacity to manufacture drones. Nothing less will do. Before the Israeli attacks, the Trump Administration was making unsettling noises that it might agree to let Iran continue with a supposedly peaceful program of uranium enrichment, while the ayatollahs pretended to wind down the country's nuclear bomb efforts. Thankfully, that plan now looks to be out the window. The mullahs aren't businessmen out to cut a good financial deal. They want the blood of those they consider unbelievers, including the annihilation of Israel. Chatter now about negotiations should just be a distraction to the fundamental task at hand: obliterating Iran's nuclear efforts once and for all. Israel should also be unhindered in dealing decisively with Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and other Iranian proxies. Xi Jinping as well as our own allies will be looking closely to see if the U.S. has the backbone and strategic wisdom to credibly counter China and our other adversaries. This brings us to another crucial test: Ukraine. Too many policymakers and onlookers seem oblivious to the strategic importance of the war raging there. Washington has a history of profoundly misjudging the character of Vladimir Putin. He can be charming and seem sincerely interested in working with other leaders, especially American presidents. Before President George W. Bush belatedly woke up to the true Putin, he declared,'I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy.… I was able to get a sense of his soul.' Bush's successors haven't been much better. Despite his blunders—and with Russian casualties now approaching 1 million—Putin still believes he can win this war. He's convinced that his meat-grinder offensives will wear down the Ukrainians as he gains more and more Ukrainian territory. These gains, Putin thinks, will lead Washington to taper off crucial weapons support from the U.S. and NATO. The U.S. will effectively wash its hands of Ukraine. Such an abandonment would be a strategic catastrophe on the scale of the 1938 Munich agreement, when Britain and France threw Czechoslovakia over to Adolph Hitler. President Trump's persistent wooing of Putin fans these concerns. His remarking that the G7 should be the G8 with Russia brought back into this exclusive club—or even the G9, with China in as well—and other mollifying gestures stir deep anxieties. The correct course is clear: Help Israel do what needs to be done with the ayatollahs and sufficiently arm Ukraine to thwart Putin's imperial designs, and the world will be a safer, better place.
