Liberman: Iran Remains the Main Threat to Israel

According to Israeli media, Avigdor Liberman, who assumed the Ministry of Defense last month, spoke on Monday, July 18, at a meeting of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Knesset. Liberman stated that in future battles, 'Israel's victory' must be 'decisive'. The Israeli Defense Minister said that any war imposed on Israel by any party must end with a 'resolution' so that 'if the enemy dares to test us once, their motivation to try us again will be destroyed.' According to the Jerusalem Post and Israel Radio, Liberman, in his first report to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission after taking office, said, 'It is clear to us that the enemy will try to target civilians behind the front lines in any future war.' Liberman identified Iran as 'still the most significant threat' to Israel. He claimed that Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program and continues its missile plans, which he described as a 'flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions.' This comes despite Iranian political and military officials stating that the JCPOA has no connection to Iran's missile programs. Nonetheless, several countries criticized the actions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard five months ago when they tested long-range missiles inscribed with the phrase 'Israel must be wiped off the map' in Hebrew. Recently, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, spoke about Iran's missile programs, which prompted a strong reaction from Iran. According to Iranian media, in response to these statements, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said on July 18 that the UN Secretary-General's remarks were 'irrelevant.' On the other hand, the Israeli Defense Minister stated in the same day's meeting that many factors in the world overlook the violation of UN Security Council resolutions regarding the prohibition of ballistic missile tests by Iran. According to Liberman, countries' eagerness to deal with Iran 'clarified the situation' and 'showed what factors we are facing.' In his report to the Knesset National Security Commission, Liberman also mentioned that 'Israel faces a complex combination of challenges; ISIS poses a threat at the Sinai border; Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are dangers at the Gaza border; Hezbollah is the main threat at the border with Lebanon; and Al-Qaeda has put Israel at risk at the border with Syria.' Liberman, the leader of the right-wing 'Israel Our Home' party, formed a coalition government with Netanyahu last month, controversially sidelining General Moshe Ya'alon from the Ministry of Defense to take this important position in the government. The Israeli Defense Minister's remarks came on the tenth anniversary of the 33-day war between his country and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the second anniversary of the 51-day war with Hamas in Gaza. Simultaneously, the Israeli army began a three-day exercise in the Golan Heights on Sunday, July 27. Concurrent with this exercise, Israeli media confirmed that a kite was observed in the sky over the Golan Heights in the occupied section of Israel, and three Patriot missiles fired by the Israeli army failed to intercept it. The kite managed to return to the sky of the area in Syria from which it was sent. No organization has yet claimed responsibility for sending this kite towards Israel.