"If Iran launches a bomb tomorrow, Israel will act," General Eyal Zamir, who until recently served as deputy chief of staff, warned yesterday.
Speaking at an IAC conference in Miami, Zamir said that Israel should be concerned about the talks taking place in Vienna between Iran and the powers.
"The Iranians cannot be trusted," he clarified.
"Iran will only be stopped if it faces a clear threat that will deter it. We would have preferred the United States to lead this threat, which must have two components: readiness and capability.
"Willingness alone is not enough, and ability alone is not enough. The United States has both, but if it does not act, Israel will be required to act.
If Iran decides to break into a bomb tomorrow, Israel will act.
I know the plans.
We have the ability to do that. "
Zamir, who served until last summer as deputy chief of staff, is currently in a school year in Washington awaiting a decision on who will serve as the IDF's next chief of staff, after Aviv Kochavi. The Iranians in the area. "Iran wanted to establish a Hezbollah-like army in Syria as well.
We prevented that, "he said.
IDF attack in Gaza, Photo: AFP
Referring to Gaza, Zamir, who previously served as commander of the Southern Command, said that "it is only a matter of time until the next round of fighting in the Gaza Strip."
He said the IDF was prepared for this, including the possibility that extensive ground operations would be required in Gaza.
At the same time, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz informed senior US administration officials that he had instructed the chief of staff and the IDF to prepare for military action against Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
So says a security source who accompanied the Secretary of Defense's visit to Washington this weekend.
According to the security source, "Ganz told the Americans that he instructed the chief of staff to prepare a military option and they know about it."
The security source added that in terms of the military capabilities of Israel and the United States, it is much better for the Americans to act against Iran, but at this stage such a possibility seems far away. "What for Israel is an operation, for them it is an action.
"What for us is a war, for them it is an operation," the security source described the power gaps between the IDF and the US military.
Ganz in a meeting with Blinken, Photo: AFP
He added that "the Americans are close and close to losing patience with Iran. They understand that Iran is not interested in reaching an agreement but strive to maintain coordination with the international community, including Russia and China. Even if they get tired of talks with Iran, they will not go straight for a military option. They will use a different set of pressure, and will start promoting a military option. "
"Cooperation will expand"
The security source confirmed that there are gaps in access between the two countries regarding the Iranian threat.
"We are looking straight at the targets. They have a broad vision with challenges facing Russia and China. However, they understand the lessons learned from Afghanistan and have picked up on the signals from the Gulf states that have begun talks with Iran, and draw conclusions."
Despite the differences in access, the security source said that security cooperation between the United States and Israel is expected to expand in the near future.
Gantz met Friday morning (Israel time) with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Later, Ganz came to the Israel-American conference and said there that we will not stop working with our partners in the United States, and appreciate the bipartisan support.
Iran poses not only a physical threat to Israel, but also a concrete threat to our way of life and to the common values of Israel and the United States.
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