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Ya’alon reiterates that Iran remains Israel’s major threat

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Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon yesterday said that Iran remains Israel’s main enemy, despite the implementation of July’s nuclear deal and an apparent warming of relations between Tehran and the international community.

Over the weekend, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared that Iran has complied with the conditions of July’s deal, which requires Iran to significantly reduce its nuclear development over the next ten years in return for sanctions relief. As a result, the United States and European Union both lifted associated sanctions, a move which is expected to quickly unfreeze billions of pounds worth of Iranian assets.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Ya’alon said, “Iran is our main enemy, after I heard voices saying different things.” He added that there should be no doubt that “Our greatest enemy is the Iranian regime that has declared war on us.” Ya’alon explained that it “is a rogue regime with designs on a regional hegemony. Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy, with the ability to declare war. Iran currently has terror infrastructure in place in five continents” and had “tried to open a terror front against us on the Golan Heights” via Hezbollah.

Ya’alon was critical of shifting international attitudes towards Iran. He said that Tehran “has escaped international isolation” and is now regarded by both the United States and Russia as “part of the solution” in Syria. In such a scenario, said Ya’alon “Iranian hegemony in Syria will be huge challenge for Israel.” He even went as far as to say, “In Syria, if the choice is between Iran and ISIS, I choose ISIS. They don’t have the capabilities that Iran has.”

Earlier this week, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot also warned that, “Iran manages a war against Israel by means of proxies such as Hezbollah.” He said that despite the nuclear deal, “Their vision of obtaining a nuclear weapon will continue insofar as Iran views itself as a regional power.”