Recent developments have made clear that a US strike on Iran is a only matter of time, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member and Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Nissim Vaturi (Likud) said in an interview on 104.5 FM on Sunday.
Vaturi said that he believed that, despite America’s recent diplomatic talks with Iran, US President Donald Trump would strike Iran.
“Is Trump frustrated? Iran is about to fall apart, Trump isn’t frustrated for no reason,” he said."There will be American action in the end, I don’t believe Trump will humiliate himself like that.
"As long as the Iranians don’t fold, there will be a massive American strike on Iran. It can’t end any other way,” he added.
Regarding the Israeli public's feelings over the Iranian threat, Vaturi said he could not understand why Israelis remain scared.
“I don’t understand the hysteria in recent weeks over waiting for an American strike on Iran; it will be fine with God’s help. The people of Israel have been under pressure for a long period. We’ve been through difficult things, quite a few missiles have been fired at Israel, and we’ll get through this, too. I don’t think there’s anything here that can break us,” Vaturi said.
He then said that there is no justification for an independent Israeli strike on Iran.
“Not now, the Americans are currently in the area, there’s no reason to act and get between their legs," he said. "The American action will be more significant. We need to focus on defense right now, but if we need to, we’ll strike.”
The MK stressed that Iran’s threat to Israel is not limited to its nuclear program, as it also includes missiles. He noted that "anyone who knows Trump knows that in the end it’s in his hands and his head."
Vaturi highlighted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first to know when Washington decides to attack Tehran, asserting that the US wouldn't easily divert from plans to strike.
Israel acts against Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild itself in Lebanon
Turning to the northern front, Vaturi said Israel continues to act against Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities in Lebanon. He explained that the terror group is trying to recover its forces, adding that Israel "sees this and strikes when needed, as we saw recently. I think this time, Hezbollah will indeed get involved in a confrontation with Iran. Our mission is to stop them, and the IDF is ready for that,” he said.
On the domestic political front, Vaturi addressed reports about the possibility of canceling the Likud primaries and expressed opposition to the move.
“Many people could be harmed by this. People ran, paid, and brought voters to the polls. You can’t cancel the primaries and set up a selection committee. You can do many things, but canceling primaries isn’t one of them,” he said.
The MK also raised the draft law issue and expressed support for advancing the legislation, and argued that it would lead to increased enlistment from the haredi sector.
“In my opinion, the draft law will raise the number of enlistees, and it will lead to the enlistment of haredim. I don’t see another way to do this. If we start fighting now and don’t pass this law, that won’t solve the problem. The law also includes sanctions and very high quotas: 8,160 in the first year and 6,000 in the second year. I think these are numbers we would have already reached if we hadn’t been arguing over the past two years and had started enlisting haredim immediately.”