Senior minister says Israel is preparing a strike on Iran

Energy Minister and cabinet member Eli Cohen said Friday morning on Radio Galey Israel that Israel will attack Iran if needed and will not rely on outside powers to do it for them. Speaking with Ziv Maor and Yiska Bina, he said, “We will definitely attack in Iran,” adding, “We do not outsource our security to a subcontractor.” He said that if Tehran “returns to its ways,” Israel will act forcefully against both Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile array.

Cohen also revealed what he described as one of the cabinet’s most significant strategic decisions, a special 350 billion shekel force buildup budget, in addition to the regular Defense Ministry budget. He said the goal is to sharply widen Israel’s qualitative, operational and technological edge “in every dimension and on every front” against its enemies.

On Gaza, Cohen said the main objective is full Israeli control of the Strip. He said that two months ago Israel held 53% of Gaza, while now the forces control more than 65% of the territory. He contrasted that with Lebanon, saying Israel only established a security buffer zone there and has no intention of taking over the entire country.

According to Cohen, Gaza is different because returning security and fully dismantling Hamas require control of 100% of the Strip. “I simply do not see any other way to achieve this goal,” he said.