Visiting IDF Exercise, Israel’s Gantz Says World Should Act Against Iran

Israel's Bennett voiced opposition to the Iran nuclear deal

Israeli officials continued their near-daily threats against Iran Tuesday, with Defense Minister Benny Gantz calling on the world to “act against Iran” and warning that Israel is prepared to take action.

“The world needs to act against Iran, and Israel is prepared to do what is needed on all of these fronts and on the northern front in particular,” Gantz said after visiting an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) exercise in northern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also stopped by the IDF exercise. According to The Times of Israel, he expressed skepticism over the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran to revive the nuclear deal that are set to resume on November 29th.

“No matter what happens between Iran and the world powers — and we are certainly concerned about the fact that there is insufficient severity in dealing with Iranian violations — Israel will protect itself with its own forces,” Bennett said.

Robert Malley, President Biden’s special envoy for Iran, is on a tour of the Middle East where he is meeting with Iran’s rivals ahead of the nuclear deal talks. During his visit to Israel on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid reiterated to Malley that Israel is against the resumption of negotiations, claiming Iran is only looking to buy time.

The Biden administration has coordinated very closely with the Israelis on how to approach Iran and has even joined in on the threats. In a recent interview, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wouldn’t rule out military action as a possible option against Iran if the nuclear deal isn’t revived.

Author: Dave DeCamp

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