Israel will prevent enemies from obtaining nuclear weapons

pulse

March 21, 2018 4:36 PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel will prevent enemies from obtaining nuclear weapons after its military admitted it carried out a 2007 air raid against a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor.

"The Israeli government, the (Israeli military), and the Mossad (intelligence agency) have prevented Syria from developing nuclear capability, and they deserve every credit for this," Netanyahu said on Twitter.

"Israel's policy has been and remains consistent -- to prevent our enemies from acquiring nuclear weapons."

It was Netanyahu's first comments related to Israel's admission early Wednesday that broke a more than 10-year official silence surrounding the raid, though it had always been widely assumed of being responsible for the strike.

The admission along with the release of newly declassified material related to the raid comes as Israel intensifies its warnings over the presence of its main enemy Iran in neighbouring Syria.

Netanyahu has also repeatedly called for a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran to be changed or eliminated.

The premier however did not mention Iran in his brief post.

Earlier Wednesday, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the raid should serve as a message for "everyone in the Middle East".

Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz was more explicit, saying it showed Israel would never allow nuclear weapons to be obtained by "countries like Iran who threaten its existence".

pulse