Latest news with #IranNuclearThreat
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Liberman: Israel has ‘no more than three years' to prepare for next war with Iran
With Iran's nuclear threat growing, Lieberman demands fixed defense funding and criticizes Gaza aid as weakening Israeli security. Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman warned the Knesset on Monday that Israel had 'a maximum of three years' before it would face another, tougher round of fighting with Iran and urged the coalition to rewrite the state budget so that defense spending is fixed at 8 percent of gross domestic product. Speaking first from the Knesset rostrum and later at his faction meeting, the former defense minister argued that Tehran was 'determined to exact revenge' for the blows it suffered in the recent Israel-Iran exchange and was already rebuilding its damaged nuclear program. 'These are not theoretical threats,' he said. 'The next stage will be more complex and more difficult.' Lieberman called the current budget debate 'madness,' insisting that defense money must be taken out of coalition horse-trading. 'The defense budget must never become a bargaining chip,' he said. He proposed legislation that would lock in the 8 percent GDP figure and prevent future governments from trimming it during coalition negotiations. Turning to the Gaza Strip, Lieberman accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of prolonging Hamas's survival by authorizing daily humanitarian convoys. 'Hamas is alive, breathing and kicking only because the 'October 7 government' is pumping medicine, fuel and food into Gaza,' he told reporters. Reservists guarding the convoys, he said, complain that they are allowed to fire only warning shots while feeling 'their lives are at risk.' He also charged that reserve engineers were being sent 'to pull down buildings with their bare hands' for lack of bulldozers and modern armored personnel carriers, while hundreds of millions of shekels in humanitarian relief were being transferred 'at the Israeli taxpayer's expense.' Lieberman urged the coalition to strike a deal for the release of the 120 Israelis still held by Hamas. 'If the military pressure has run its course, what are we still doing there?' he asked. Once the hostages are home, Israel should adopt the Lebanon model, he added, noting that the IDF has killed roughly 200 Hezbollah operatives since the November ceasefire on the northern front. 'We will hunt down every terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre until his last day,' he vowed. The veteran MK insisted that the cabinet must 'wake up and change every national priority' ahead of the coming confrontation with Iran. His warning comes as the coalition faces internal wrangling over the 2026 budget and amid renewed debate over the cost of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Lieberman's proposal would require reopening the entire state budget—an unpopular move inside the coalition—but the opposition party leader said any delay would leave Israel exposed. 'Iran's nuclear program was hit hard,' he acknowledged, 'but it was not destroyed and can be rebuilt. That is what the regime is working on with all its might.'


Fox News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Mossad chief thanks US for help with Iran, says 'significantly thwarted' regime threats
Print Close By Rachel Wolf, Yonat Friling Published June 26, 2025 Mossad Director David Barnea thanked the men and women working for the agency after the success of Israel's Operation Rising Lion. He also expressed his appreciation to the U.S. — particularly the CIA — for their work in countering Iran's nuclear program. "These are historic days for the people of Israel. The Iranian threat, which endangered our security for decades, has been significantly thwarted thanks to the extraordinary cooperation between the IDF, which led the campaign, and the Mossad, which operated alongside it, with the support of our ally, the United States," Barnea said. INSIDE ISRAEL'S SECRET WAR IN IRAN: MOSSAD COMMANDOS, HIDDEN DRONES AND THE STRIKE THAT STUNNED TEHRAN The Mossad, Israel's equivalent of the CIA, had personnel in Iran ready for the launch of Operation Rising Lion, something that was revealed in unprecedented fashion when the agency released video of its operatives at work. Ahead of the U.S. strikes in the early hours of Sunday morning, Iranian time, there was speculation whether Washington and Jerusalem were coordinating. President Donald Trump made it clear after the strikes that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been working together behind the scenes. "I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team — like perhaps no team has ever worked before — and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel," Trump said in his address to the nation following the strikes on Iran. US STRIKES SET IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM BACK 'MANY YEARS,' ISRAELI ASSESSMENT FINDS While Barnea expressed his gratitude to Israeli and American forces alike, he also said that "the mission is not yet complete." "The Mossad will continue, with determination, to monitor, track, and act to thwart the threats against us — just as we always have — for the sake of the State of Israel and its people," Barnea said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, said on Tuesday that the country was assessing the damage and preparing to restore the facilities, according to Reuters. He added that Iran's "plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services." Both Trump and Netanyahu vowed to respond if Iran rebuilds its nuclear program. Print Close URL


Bloomberg
25-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Israel Campaign Against Iran Cost 1% of GDP, Yaron Says
Israel's campaign against the Iran nuclear threat cost the government about 1% of GDP, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron says in an interview with Bloomberg's Lisa Abramowicz. Yaron says markets show that Israel's geopolitical risk has been significantly reduced and lawmakers may need to increase spending in the 2025 budget. (Source: Bloomberg)


The Independent
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer says US helped weaken Iranian nuclear threat in Trump defence
Sir Keir Starmer defended US President Donald Trump 's actions in the Middle East, stating American strikes helped alleviate Iran's nuclear threat and calling for a return to the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel accused Iran of violations with missile strikes, leading to further Israeli military action, which Iran denied. Donald Trump expressed frustration over the ceasefire's collapse, criticising both Israel and Iran for their actions and urging Israel to withdraw its warplanes. Sir Keir Starmer emphasised the importance of maintaining the ceasefire to allow for negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The UK government, through Downing Street, reiterated its priority for a diplomatic solution, urging Iran to return to the negotiating table for a lasting settlement.


Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer refuses to say UK would support US if it is attacked
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether the UK would offer military support to the US if it was attacked, amid questions over the legal advice given. Britain was not involved in the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities that saw bunker-buster bombs dropped on the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities. The US made no request to use the UK military in the attack, either through RAF support from Typhoon fighter jets at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, or by using the Diego Garcia military base as a staging base for the bombing. It comes after leaked advice from the Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, last week warned that the UK should not join direct strikes by Israel against Iran as it might breach international law. Responding to the overnight attacks by the US, Sir Keir avoided any comment on their legality but said Iran's nuclear programme was a 'grave threat', which the US military action would 'alleviate'. Asked directly by Sky News whether he would offer military support if needed, the Prime Minister said there was a risk of escalation not only within the region but also beyond it. 'We have been moving assets to the region to make sure that we're in a position to protect our own interests, our personnel and our assets, and of course those of our allies,' he said. Asked whether the UK would support the US if it was attacked by Iran as allowed by article five under Nato's principle of collective defence, Sir Keir said: 'I'm not going to speculate about what may happen, because all of my focus is on de-escalation. 'But I do want to reassure the public that we have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel, and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well. That's what you would expect.' The United Nations Charter says countries can only launch an attack in self-defence, to defend an ally, or if the UN Security Council passes a resolution authorising military action. The advice was drawn up before the US intervened in the conflict. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, suggested the situation would be 'clear-cut' on acting in self-defence if UK forces came under attack, but would not comment further on the legal advice. He confirmed that Britain had been told in advance by the US 'shortly' before the strikes on Iran, but Government officials refused to say precisely when. Mr Trump's order to attack, however, came despite Sir Keir's appeals for a diplomatic solution. At the G7 summit in Canada last week, the Prime Minister even suggested the US would not intervene after sitting with Mr Trump at a dinner. Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, said that in his view military action against Iran was lawful under conventions allowing collective self-defence, the right to take 'proportionate' action to avert Iranian attacks on UK bases and personnel, and to prevent Iran realising its 'genocidal intentions' against Israel. He accused Sir Keir of welcoming the end results of the attack but prevaricating over the means. In a post on X, Lord Wolfson wrote: 'The US and the UK are in the same legal position; accordingly, if the UK Govt's position (as reported) is that the UK cannot itself take offensive military action to support Israel, the UK Govt must also consider that the US strike on Iran's nuclear reactors was illegal. 'The UK Govt cannot welcome the ends but prevaricate about the means. So: what is our Govt's stance on the legality of the US military action. I support it. Does Keir Starmer?' In an article for The Telegraph, Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, claimed Sir Keir had been sidelined by his 'peripheral and hesitant' response to the Iran-Israel conflict. 'Ministers talk tough on Iran but have spent the past year straining relations with Israel – our key regional ally. We should be helping shape the international response, not reacting late from the sidelines,' she said. 'Commitment to peace and stability' Lord Ricketts, the former UK national security chief, said he believed the US decided it was better not to ask to launch B-2 bombers from the RAF base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean than to be told no. He told the Guardian: 'Either the Americans worked it out or were privately told please don't ask because it would raise fundamental questions about our taking part.' On Sunday, the Prime Minister held talks with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, after convening a Cobra meeting. In a joint statement the three leaders reiterated their 'commitment to peace and stability for all countries in the region'. They added: 'We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. We stand ready to contribute to that goal in coordination with all parties. 'We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region. 'We will continue our joint diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions and ensure the conflict does not intensify and spread further.' The diplomatic discussions come as Sir Keir faces divisions on his back benches, with Left-wing MPs criticising Mr Trump's intervention as unjustified, illegal and potentially catastrophic. 'These are [illegal] acts with no justification,' said Diane Abbott, while Richard Burgon said: 'This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.' A third MP said: 'I do not support the entry of one nation state into another, and question the legality of this action, let alone the action itself.' Meanwhile, Britons in Israel have been told to book on the first Foreign Office charter flights to leave the region in the wake of the US bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. The Foreign Office launched a flight registration form for British nationals in Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories to log their details and interest in the flights. It has opened a booking portal and urged all UK nationals to register their presence now. It said those with greatest need would be prioritised for flights. British nationals, plus non-British immediate family members travelling with them, are eligible.