While the US has expressed opposition to an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Gallant emphasized that Israel is not ruling out any course of action.
“Everything is on the table,” Gallant said. He is set to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday to discuss the threats posed by Iran and its affiliated groups.
“Israel has capabilities to hit targets near and far — we have proved it. We will respond to the Iranian attack appropriately. We will not stand by and neither should the international community,” the Defense Minister told CNN.
Gallant highlighted Israel's successes in its campaign against Hezbollah, noting that Israel has “dismantled a major part of their capabilities” and that Hezbollah is now facing “a lack of command and control.”
He explained that the ground operation remains focused on Hezbollah positions near the border, though it has expanded in recent days.
Gallant suggested that the damage inflicted on Hezbollah “has made a crack that now opens the door to change not just in Lebanon, but in the entire Middle East.”
US President Joe Biden stated last Wednesday that he opposes an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
“The answer is no,” Biden said when questioned about the prospect of Israel launching a retaliatory strike on sites related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
On Friday, Biden said he would weigh "alternatives" to striking Iran's oil fields, a move which would devastate Iran's economy, if he were in Israel's place.
"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oilfields," Biden said.
Former President Donald Trump stated that he believes Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities and criticized Biden for opposing such strikes.
Speaking to voters in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said, “I listened to Biden yesterday … they asked him, what do you think about Iran, would you hit Iran and he goes ‘as long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.' That's the thing you want to hit, right?"
“I think he’s got that one wrong, isn’t that the one you’re supposed to hit,” he added. “It’s the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons.” Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
