Israel simulates attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
Tension in bilateral relations between Israel and Iran has been on the rise, as well as the exchange of threats and warnings in recent months. Israel suspects that the Persian country is "systematically deceiving the world", according to the Israeli government. As a result, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called on the powers "to take a much firmer stance" on Iran.
At the end of January, a US official landed on Israeli soil and was present at the simulation of a "massive attack" against nuclear facilities in Iran, which took place a fortnight ago and was led by the Israeli Air Force, according to information from the national television channel Kan 11. The simulation involved dozens of planes, which followed different missions such as in-flight refuelling, long-range attacks or manoeuvres to repel anti-aircraft missiles.
As mentioned above, another major player in the simulation was the US officer, whose presence was unusual in that he only participated as an observer, but his presence marked a new approach to Iran's nuclear programme. Generally, the US military has never had access to a scenario of this calibre, nor the possibility of witnessing these war tests. The media outlet Kan 11 stressed the importance of the officer's presence at the event. At the same time, negotiations were taking place in Vienna on the revival of the nuclear deal that was signed with Iran earlier in 2015. In the same year, the nuclear deal was concluded with the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), where Iran signed up to a series of nuclear measures.
Last year, talks to bring about the restoration of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers of Germany, China, the United Arab Emirates, France and the United Kingdom were to resume, but were halted in June of the same year, following the election of the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a result, the talks were revived in November by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and continue to this day.
Recently, the US secretary said that 'there were only a few weeks left to salvage the Iran nuclear deal' and that 'the United Arab Emirates was ready to pursue other options if the talks fail, so that military action against Iran could then be resorted to'. In the face of this, Israeli officials continue to seek significant restrictions because they see the Persian country as a real nuclear threat.
In addition, an official from the US State Department stated on Monday that "the likelihood of reaching an agreement with Iran is decreasing" as a result of the progress being made in the Iranian nuclear programme, which means that if any impact occurs in the coming weeks it would not be relevant, according to information gathered by Kan 11. Because of this, Israel, according to The Times of Israel, has stated that "if a new agreement is reached with Iran, Israel is not bound by it and will act as it deems necessary to protect its citizens".
Also, Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, stated that "Iran will remain Iran", referring to whether a deal is reached during negotiations in the Austrian capital. "The campaign to weaken Iran" will continue, he said. Should some of the sanctions imposed against Tehran be lifted, he said, it will only increase its dangerous activities across the Middle East.
Given this situation, one can only hope that Iran will sign the new nuclear deal and thus comply with the demands of the international community. Iran has also stated that its nuclear programme is of a peaceful nature. Israel, for its part, has presented a budget of an additional 1.5 billion dollars for possible future military action against Iran, should action be necessary.