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Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi
Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi
Iran has "become the most dangerous country in the Middle East," Lieut. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Israel Defence Forces' Chief of General Staff said Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports.
"[Iran] is located in the third circle [in relation to Israel]," Kochavi said, referring to the country's geographic proximity, "but is highly effective in influencing the first and second circles," he added, referring to Iran's alleged cooperation with a range of militias stretching from Lebanon and Syria to Yemen. According to the officer, although Iran has "made significant progress in its nuclear weapons program, the nuclear threat is no longer the only threat. Iran also has conventional weapons."
Kochavi accused Iran of funding 'terrorist' organizations like Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestinian territories, and of trying to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel. Although Israel, the US and many US allies recognize groups like Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist groups, many other countries do not.
Comment: What would Israel do with all its free time if it didn't have to repetitiously convince itself it has a manufactured enemy? If Iran was going to bomb Israel, there have been decades past in which it could have done so. Would it make a bit of difference to its treatment of the Palestinians? Curtail its land grabs and demolition derby? Change its politics? Find new relevance? Keep its hands out of the USA and not demand $3B+ per year to increase its armament? Ditch the spread of anti-Semitism virus around the globe? Answer is 'No'. Israel is a country driven by fear and for that you have to have a long-lasting and ultimate enemy - truth or fiction.