"The solution in Kara's opinion is a killer robot, like in the films of Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger," Al-Akhbar newspaper article says after Likud minister's comments.
By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUAUpdated: FEBRUARY 27, 2017 12:36Hassan Nasrallah during a video broadcast.(photo credit: ARAB MEDIA)
The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar criticized Israeli Minister Ayoub Kara on Monday, dubbing him "the Science Fiction Minister," after he said over the weekend that Israel was developing robots that could kill its enemies, including Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.A Monday article in the Lebanese paper held that "the Israeli Minister-without-portfolio Ayoub Kara found himself a portfolio and has become, starting today, the science fiction minister in the Israeli government by saying that Israel's goal of assassinating its number one enemy, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, is closer than ever."Kara claimed on Saturday that within a matter of a few years an IDF robot would be able to assassinate Nasrallah and the heads of Hamas in Gaza. His comments were criticized and mocked by several politicians. Kara responded to the criticism on Sunday, saying that he had been speaking seriously. According to the minister, he had heard about the robots from late former president Shimon Peres, and that he was now being mocked only because he's in the Likud.The Lebanese newspaper article said that "the solution in Kara's opinion is a killer robot, like in the films of Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger."The paper added, however, that it was taking the minister's remarks seriously. "Despite the fact that the media in Israel reacted cynically to Kara's comments, he exposed a scientific reality."Defending his remarks in an Israel Radio interview on Saturday night, Kara said, “This is just like the development of drones or our Iron Dome [anti-rocket] system. At first, people were laughing and saying, ‘This is impossible’ and that it will never happen. People thought that these were imaginary technologies, but now we see them operating.”When asked about the time frame for these technologies to be operational, Kara replied: “It would take several years. I guess that in three years we will see the results already.”Kara explained that his desire to advance technologies to keep Israeli soldiers within our borders and not in another country comes from personal experience.“I don’t want other families to go through what I went through when we started the war with Lebanon,” he said.Kara lost one of his brothers in the First Lebanon War in 1985, while another brother was severely wounded.Udi Shaham contributed to this report.