Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister, reiterated his plea for a regional alliance led by the United States to combat Iran on Tuesday.
During an award ceremony for Israeli soldiers, Gantz said Iran “closes the cameras at its nuclear sites, expands its hostile actions in the region, and refuses efforts to reach a nuclear agreement.”
“What is required is not only cooperation, but also a regional force build-up under American leadership, which would benefit all parties,” he continued.
During his recent visit to the United States, the Israeli minister made similar remarks in the context of escalating Iranian tensions.
Last Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that his country’s policy toward Iran had “evolved over the past year.”
“We are moving against the head, not simply the arms, as we have been doing in previous years,” Bennett said during a meeting of the Israeli Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, after using the term “octopus” to describe Iran.
In recent weeks, tensions between Iran and the West have escalated due to a standstill in discussions aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
