The Iranian ballistic missile threat is not one to be underestimated, former MK Matan Kahana said during a Sunday interview with 103FM, warning that it represents the same kind of danger as the possibility that the Islamic Republic gets its hands on nuclear weapons.
According to Kahana, the Iranian missiles have a warhead of about half a ton of explosives, and "if you take 30,000 such missiles, it is equivalent to the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima."
He clarified that even with such a powerful arsenal of missiles, he is not impressed by the Iranian air force, noting "there is a huge gap between the Israeli and other Western air forces, and the Iranian air force."
"Their planes are outdated, their systems are outdated."
"My understanding is that in the 12-Day War, they [Iran's air force] took off and fled eastward," Kahana added. "They would make a serious mistake if they tried to deal with the American or Israeli air force planes."
He also praised the courage of the IAF pilots who fought in the last war with Iran, saying he envied them and wished he could join them on their missions.
"Flying to Iran is normally a challenge," he said during the interview. "Flying a hundred or two hundred planes to Iran was a huge operational act."
Eisenkot, Netanyahu, and future elections
Kahana, who will be running for elections in Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party, also spoke on the current political situation in the country.
He called the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "terrible for Israel," saying that his party is "determined to win the elections and establish a broad Zionist government."
On his decision to follow Eisenkot to Yashar! rather than staying in Benny Gantz's Blue and White, he said that in his entire political career, he has only been with "two leaders": Former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot.
"Bennett is like a brother to me," he said, "but I am now with Eisenkot, and I believe in him."
Finally, Kahana noted that Netanyahu's decision not to call early elections shows he doesn't believe that current polls reflect the the reality of the Israeli public.
He also estimated that the final lists for the Knesset will look different ahead of the elections.