Miki Zohar Says Israel Could Have Destroyed Iran but Chose Restraint to Respect the U.S.

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said in an interview Tuesday on Channel 14 that Israel had the military ability to devastate Iran but deliberately refrained out of respect for the United States. His remarks were a direct response to recent comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump about Israel’s policy toward Iran.

Zohar said, “We respect him very much, we love him very much, and he did a lot for the State of Israel. But I have to correct him.” He was referring to Trump’s statement during a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, when Trump claimed that “if not for me, Israel would not exist today.” Zohar said Israel could have struck Iran so hard that it would have been left without electricity, water, or food, but chose not to because it valued the alliance with Washington.

According to Zohar, Israel could have “wiped Iran off the face of the earth” on its own, but did not do so because it wanted to avoid creating chaos and widespread destruction in the Middle East. He said Israel is “a very responsible country” and wants to build “a logical infrastructure in the Middle East” rather than unleash “unusual chaos” and devastation.

The interview came after the completion of a U.S.-Iran agreement that has drawn criticism in Israel. Zohar said Israel was able to stand alone, even if that would have meant “higher costs,” including possible harm on the Israeli home front and in the military, but stressed that Israel prefers coordination with the United States. He concluded that Israel “can stand alone if needed,” even though it does not want to.