A longtime Israeli lawmaker and former defense minister took to the airwaves and social media on Wednesday to suggest his country should do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“It is not possible anymore to stop the Iranian nuclear program with conventional means,” Avigdor Liberman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party said during a Channel 12 interview. “And we will have to use all the means that are available to us.”
“We will have to stop with the deliberate policy of ambiguity, and it needs to be clear what is at stake here,” Liberman continued, apparently referring to Israel’s refusal to say whether it has nuclear weapons. “What is at stake here is the future of this nation, the future of the state of Israel, and we will not take any risks.”
Member of Knesset and former Minister of Defense, Avigdor Liberman, live on Channel 12, openly calls to use nuclear weapon against Iran, in order to prevent it from reaching weaponization of its nuclear program. What a fuckin’ psycho. pic.twitter.com/NYGfQ1zqVp
— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) July 4, 2024
When pressed on what he meant by stopping Iran with non-conventional means, Liberman said, “I said it very clearly.”
“Right now there is no time to stop the Iranian nuclear program, their weaponization, by using conventional means,” he added.
Liberman made similar comments on social media, where his remarks sparked alarm and condemnation. The lawmaker’s hardline call comes amid powder keg tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran, which warned last week that any Israeli invasion of Lebanon – from which Iranian ally Hezbollah is resisting Israel’s annihilation of Gaza – would trigger an “obliterating war.”
The Zionists are gettting even more unhinged by the minute: here you can find a senior political figure suggesting to NUKE IRAN https://t.co/AxSuLxZsrp
— Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) July 4, 2024
According to the Arms Control Association (ACA), a U.S.-based advocacy group, Iran is a “threshold state,” meaning “it has developed the necessary capacities to build nuclear weapons.”
However, a February 2024 threat assessment report authored by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stated that “Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device.”
“Since 2020, however, Tehran has stated that it is no longer constrained by any JCPOA limits,” the report says, a reference to so-called Iran Nuclear Deal from which the U.S. unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under former President Donald Trump. “Iran has greatly expanded its nuclear program, reduced [International Atomic Energy Agency] monitoring, and undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.”
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, although Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the Financial Times earlier this week that his country would “have to change our doctrine” if faced with an existential threat.
The ACA and others estimate that Israel has around 90 nuclear warheads and fissile material for approximately 200 more.
Liberman isn’t the first Israeli lawmaker to suggest nuclear war against Iran. Far-right Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi – who sparked outrage by saying Israeli forces are “too humane” in Gaza and should “burn” the Palestinian territory – said in April that “in the event of a conflict with Iran, if we do not receive American ammunition, we will have to use everything we have.”
Brett Wilkins is is staff writer for Common Dreams. Based in San Francisco, his work covers issues of social justice, human rights and war and peace. This originally appeared at CommonDreams and is reprinted with the author’s permission.
Avigdor Lieberman (Hebrew: אביגדור ליברמן, romanized: Avigdor Liberman, IPA: [aviɡˈdor ˈliberman] (audio)ⓘ; born 5 June 1958)[2] is a Soviet-born Israeli politician who served as Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2022, having previously served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012.
Wikipedia.
Ya know John??… I use to be a Smith as well!
Then I got married and divorced and got to keep me name: Volatile! Lol
There is nothing to fear from immigration. Just ask the Palestinians.
and the native Americans
Part Comanche (me)! Proud of it too. Quanah Parker, a truly great warrior and chief, who found peace.
One suspects many Likudniks desire another Masada. All or Nothing seems to be their rallying cry
You are surely correct!!!
Bibi goes first………………….
When Biden-Harris ran for the presidency they promised to fully return us to JCPOA. So much for their promises.
Biden started equivocating on that even before the election. Too bad. It would have been a very smart move.
Yes he did, and yes it would have been a smart move. Another smart move would have been a return to the INF and Open Skies agreements, then negotiations to return to the ABM treaty. A redirect toward peace and safety for all. But then again, Biden is a politician and he knows who his sugar daddies are.
Do you seriously believe that Biden is making decisions in this regime?
Who is his Chief of Staff? He has serious control over the administration. He can sign off on a lot of things. I believe his name is Zients.
Biden is the boss, no matter what any one of us thinks of his mental acuity, he is the frikkin boss
"I better not go off script or I'll get in trouble again." —Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.
Who is his Chief of Staff?
Georgetown Class of ‘81
His Profs were people like:
Ted Shackley
Ellsworth Bunker
Edward Luttwack
Jeanne Kirkpatrick
And a couple of Seminars taught by
Kissinger
"Do you seriously believe that Biden is making decisions in this regime?"
No.
P.S. I you figure out who is making the decisions, please let me know.
To be fair, it takes 2 or more parties to make a treaty, and after the US ripped up the last treaty they made with Iran, Iran would not so quickly enter into another.
Russia should just give Iran some nukes to end this insanity…
I always thought M.A.D. was the worst possible solution to making peace, but
I guess this is where we are.
They might just do that…!
Why would they do that? What would Russia gain by doing that?
IF the Iranians wanted nukes, the Russians would probably gain whatever they wanted from Iran in return for those nukes.
On the larger scale, the Russians might be interested in the Middle East becoming more stable and less conflict-prone. It’s at least POSSIBLE that the Israeli regime would settle down a little if it faced the prospect of nuclear annihilation.
The problem with giving Iran nukes is that if Iran uses those nukes against Israel, what left of Israel will fire their nukes not only at Iran but also at Moscow. One of the goals of Israel nuclear deterrent is to reduce the chance of Moscow or Pakistan from sending nuclear weapons to Iran or Iraq or Syria. That is the purpose of the super long range Jericho III missile.
That is first problem. The second problem is Moscow like Washington knows there are huge disadvantages to sending nuclear weapons to unstable countries. Both countries have always kept their nukes under tight control. Losing control of nukes is not a good idea.
Iran would use nukes the same way everyone else who has nukes uses them, as a deterrent. Maybe Israel would think twice about bombing their neighbors with impunity. And you are talking out of your ass when you say Israel's "nuclear deterrent" is to ensure no one sends Iran, or anyone else, nukes. That's ridiculous. Russia has 6,000 nukes with plenty of them capable of reaching Israel. And lastly, Iran is not any more unstable than Israel. To the contrary, Israel is an unstable terrorist state who is running amok in the ME and must be put down like a rabid dog.
“disadvantages to sending nuclear weapons to unstable countries”
Please define ”unstable country” without referring to be a western patsy.
It's at least POSSIBLE that the Israeli regime would settle down a little if it faced the prospect of nuclear annihilation.
—
I'm of the mind that Israel is much too hyper-sensitive to let any such potential threat to them to go without a major military response. Israel all by itself is a powder-keg.
A first strike by Israel would be understandable.
Once Iran has nukes,they will use them as a cover while pursuing a long term war of attrition.
we are still where we always have been
same shit, different day
there is no point looking over your shoulder
If Israel uses a nuclear weapons, it will definitely cease to exist. But in all likelihood, Russia can prevent an Israel use of a nuke by collapsing the missile silos with hypersonic missiles.
The only issue then is the five or six German submarines Israel has with the capability of launching cruise missiles reportedly with nuclear warheads. The jury is out on whether Russia can track those, but I suspect they can as Russia would not have gone into Syria in 2015 without knowing everything about Israeli nuclear weapons as a matter of due diligence.
Also, the jury is still out on Pepe Escobar's intel fed to him by an Asian power (I have concluded most likely China) that claimed an Israel F-35 with a nuclear device was shot down by Russia (i have determined either in Syria or the Mediterranean.) Pepe has suggested that the story itself is not necessarily true, but intended to send a message to Israel.
That would be the end of Israel Not Iran…!
An Israeli idiot suggested a tactical nuke dropped on Gaza.
…Which also would destroy southern Israel…!
I certainly not suggesting the Israel use a nuclear weapon in Gaza. If Israel did use a nuclear bomb they would carefully calculate the yield, the detonation height and wind to minimize fallout on Southern Israel. But of course, despite some nut job wanting to do so, Israel will not use a nuke on Gaza.
"If Israel did use a nuclear bomb they would carefully calculate the yield, the detonation height and wind to minimize fallout on Southern Israel."
No such animal. Even the tactical nukes of today are multiple times more powerful than the bombs we dropped on Japan. They drop one on their immediate neighbors and there will be no escaping the damage from the fallout. And it would be significant.
He describes this attack with such precision as if Israel will be doing an open heart surgery without damaging the lungs.
What can I say…?! He is a proud unchosen troll…!
"If Israel did use a nuclear bomb they would carefully calculate the yield, the detonation height and wind to minimize fallout on Southern Israel."
Bull crap…! No one has this capability with nukes… Israel only knows surgical attacks with conventional weapons not nukes…!
If they knew this, they would've used it a long time ago and report it as conventional attack to get away clean with it…!
I agree with everything except them only knowing "surgical attacks". Nothing "surgical" about 2,000 lb. bombs. And Biden gave them 14,000.
My Bad…! Of course they cannot be surgical with heavy, unguided and mostly gravity 2k lbs bombs…!
Not take any risks, eh? Well, any military attack, and exponentially greater a nuclear attack, will guarantee the destruction of Israel.
Nukes are a 80-year old technology … get used to most states being able to assemble weapons if they need to. The trick is to reduce tensions so the headaches and risks of weaponization are not worth the availability of the weapons.
What a guy this bouncer bar thug has becum, talking nucler genocide. A real social climber!!!!!! Just trying to outdo the Nzis and show the world Zioists are tougher than Nazis. His show of bravado is apt to bring the same fate down on the apartheid state that the Nazis suffered when the world had enough of Lebensrum!!!
Read "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil".
Also: Consortium News: https://consortiumnews.com/2024/06/24/the-treachery-of-the-nazi-zionist-alliance/
President Kennedy tried to stop the Zionist Israeli leader, Ben-Gurion, from having their scientists from developing the bomb.
Kennedy tried with no success. But Kennedy also sold Israel Hawk missiles. Up to that point Israel main supplier of weapons was the French. The Hawk missile sale was followed by A-4 s in 1966 and the transition to US supplied weapons was on.
Hawk missiles were considered to be a defensive weapon.
Look who his daddy was.
If it looks like Israel will do it, Iran will develop the bomb by 1Aug, then test it on Tel Aviv.
The ONLY thing keeping Israel from being annihilated IS their nukes… They made enemies of ALL their neighbors
I have been wondering who the third Antichrist is…. Any thoughts from anyone?…. Worth a brief discussion and I do believe he comes from the East but that could also imply the East of any country….. My source for my info. Is Michel de Nostradamus and of course the Bible as well… i.e.
Revelations.Hmmm…. Just musing aloud to myself….. Could he be from Israel! Or Iran? Or………………………..?…………………….?……… Or could he be a woman?………………..?……………….. If I were a betting woman….. I am rather inclined to think the person could be from Israel. It should be further pointed out that it or they want WAR. End times type of thing….And, of course, there is the entire situation involving Christ, the son of God, Mary…. The Holy Family. Why would God the father kill his only son and bring him back to life, when God should be able to save us all himself?! Much food for thought going on here. Hmmm……..
I have thought that Mr. Trump is the Randal Flagg of our time. The great manipulator. When I read about people supposedly talking him out of or into anything, I have to laugh. If his history is anything, no one overrules him.
Randall Flagg’s not a bad comparison.
Neither is Greg Stillson.
Obviously, a big war is brewing in the Middle East. Gaza is just the opening act.
One clear message from this article is that if there is a nuclear exchange, it will be between Iran and Israel.
""it is not possible anymore to stop the Iranian nuclear program with conventional means""
Iran is still trying to build a nuclear power plant.
the US and every other nuclear power is supposed to help Iran build a safe nuclear power plant. but somewhere along the way "somebody" has assumed control of the public narrative and now Iran is a "bad-guy" and their plans of energy sufficiency have become some kind of "world domination".
maybe Iran will team up with Russia and take over the entirety of Europe.
idiots.
WHAT
Israel just loves the ambiguity of their nuclear weapon program… For this reason alone they most likely wouldn't use their nukes… because if they do, their ambiguity and protection are gone…! They have to answer to the world and in particular IAEA…!
So ISRAHELL wants to go toe to toe with Iran?…..Well certainly but stupid. I am antiwar but if I were a betting woman?…. Hmmm. I tend to think Iran can kick some ass.
Alastair Crooke's latest which, as usual, hits it on the head.
Does 'Israel' want war
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/does–israel–want-war
Money quotes: