IDF Chief Says Israel Will Continue to Attack Iran

Israel frequently carries out covert attacks inside Iran

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said Tuesday that Israel will continue to launch attacks to “destroy” Iran’s capabilities, including its civilian nuclear program.

“Operations to destroy Iranian capabilities will continue, in any arena and at any time, and the operational plans against Iran’s nuclear program will continue to be developed and improved,” Kohavi said.

While the IDF has not launched an overt attack inside Iran, the Israelis frequently carry out covert attacks against the Iranian nuclear program. Most recently, Iran has accused Israel of attacking an Iranian nuclear warehouse with a drone in June. The attack damaged equipment belonging to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Iran is calling on the nuclear watchdog to condemn the incident.

Over the past few months, Kohavi has repeatedly said the IDF is “accelerating” plans to attack Iran’s nuclear program, signaling that Israel is planning a more overt operation inside the country.

Israel is also constantly bombing Syria, which it frames as part of its attacks on Iran in the region. But these airstrikes typically kill Iraqi Shia militia fighters and Syrian government troops.

Kohavi’s threats come as the US is calling on Iran to return to stalled negotiations to revive the nuclear deal. Israel launched an attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in April when the talks first began, a clear attempt at sabotaging the attempt at diplomacy. The US never condemned the incident, giving the Israelis tacit support to keep up these covert operations.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.