Netanyahu: 80% of Israel's Security Problems Stem from Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated that one of the country's intelligence agencies has assessed that "80% of Israel's security problems" are caused by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. Netanyahu made these remarks on Monday, March 6, during the 25th anniversary of the memorial ceremony for the victims of the bombing of the Israeli embassy in the Argentine capital. According to Israeli media, he said that "Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program, continues to develop ballistic missiles, and its aggressive nature threatens the stability of the region." According to Benjamin Netanyahu, "Iran continues to threaten Israel with destruction, but we are not afraid and are building our forces." Tehran does not recognize Israel and its senior officials, including the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, have repeatedly described Israel as a "usurper regime" and threatened it. In these remarks, the Israeli Prime Minister also said: "Iran continues to support Hezbollah {Lebanon}; however, we stand against the equipping of Hezbollah with advanced weaponry; our red lines are clear, and we do not hesitate to strike." On Sunday, March 5, at a meeting of the Israeli cabinet, he stated that on Thursday, March 9, he would go to Moscow to express the country's "clear and decisive opposition" to the permanent presence of Iranian military forces in Syria to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. The Israeli Prime Minister added that he wants to reach a "specific understanding" with Putin to prevent the stabilization of Iranian forces in Syria. According to him, Israel is concerned that Iran "is seeking to open a new front against Israel from the Golan (the border between Syria and Israel)." Iran has repeatedly stated that it has only sent military advisors to Syria at the request of the Syrian government. Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel's Foreign Minister, in his remarks on Monday at this ministry, identified Iran as the perpetrator of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. He said: "Iran was behind that explosion" and accused Tehran of being "still the world's leading supporter of terrorism and that Iran's global terror network is still active." Israel claims that Iran, with the help of Hezbollah agents, carried out the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina and the bombing in 1994 at the Argentine Jewish community center. Iran has strongly denied the accusations in both cases. Argentina has only investigated Iran's possible role in the AMIA community center explosion, although these lengthy investigations never led to tangible results or the arrest of those responsible for the explosion. Meanwhile, as the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. has also named the Iranian government as the "largest supporter of terrorism," Israel, encouraged by Washington's new stance, has called on Arab countries, especially the Gulf monarchies, to form an alliance similar to NATO to "counter Iran's threats." Before Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks, ISNA news agency reported last Wednesday, quoting Ahmad Karim Pour, a military advisor to the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, that Iran "has identified all important Israeli centers and has the capability to destroy them in less than seven minutes."