Iran’s so-called moderate president Hassan Rouhani last week labeled Israel “a cancerous tumor, ” claiming that the country was a “fake regime” established by Western countries.
Rouhani also claimed that Israel “completely obeyed the West in regional matters” and said the country had “killed and displaced” the [non-existing] “historical nation of Palestine.”
He then called upon the Islamic nations to create “a joint force” against Israel and the United States in order to win the battle with “criminals.”
It was the first time the Iranian president used such strong language to vilify Israel and his remarks drew a sharp response by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who on Saturday evening warned that “Israel knows very well how to defend itself from the murderous Iranian regime.”
Netanyahu also called upon “the nations of the world” to join the new US sanctions imposed against Iran and said the Islamic Republic was also a threat to them.
On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei joined the renewed war of words against Israel.
The Iranian leader claimed that “the Zionist regime is clearly weaker than 10 and 20 years ago,” boasting that Hamas and Hezbollah defeated the IDF during the wars in 2005, 2008, 2014, as well as two weeks ago during what he called “the 2-day war” when Iran apparently ordered the Palestinian terror groups to pound southern Israel with 460 rockets.
The European Union, in a rare show of solidarity with Israel, subsequently slammedRouhani’s “cancerous tumor” remark as “totally unacceptable” and claimed it remained committed to the security of Israel, but stopped short of joining the new sanctions against Iran.
“The European Union reiterates its fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, including with regard to current and emerging threats in the region,” a part of the EU statement read. READ MORE
