Middle East Desk
Report
TEL AVIV: Military plans dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme have been “greatly accelerated”, Israel’s military chief warned, as questions on the ability to revive a landmark accord limiting Tehran’s weapons development continue to grow.
Preparations for possible action against Iran are being intensified, Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi said in an interview, adding “a significant chunk of the boost to the defence budget, as was recently agreed, was intended for this purpose”.
“It’s a very complicated job with much more intelligence, much more operational capabilities, much more armaments. We’re working on all these things,” Kohavi told media. He also said efforts were under way throughout the Middle East to check Iran’s allies.
The main objective is “minimising Iranian presence in the Middle East with an emphasis on Syria but these operations take place throughout the Middle East.
They’re also against Hamas, against Hezbollah”, said Kohavi. US defence chief Lloyd Austin, speaking in Qatar on Tuesday, said Iranian military activity in the Middle East continued to ramp up tensions.
“Iran’s support for terrorism and its willingness to supply increasingly lethal weapons to non-state groups undermines the regional stability that we all seek,” said Austin.
“So we’re committed to working together to enhance regional security and regional defences against de-stabilizing actions, including Iran’s nuclear aspirations.”
The dispute over the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran remains one of the primary reasons for the high tensions in the region.
Since April, the other parties to the nuclear deal, China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia, have attempted to get the United States and Iran to return to the historic accord after Washington withdrew in 2018. Iran has long claimed its nuclear programme is peaceful, noting it has worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency on its activities.
