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Netanyahu warns of Iran's five-layered threat
At Herzliya conference, prime minister says nuclear threat is not the only one Tehran poses; it also arms its allies against Israel, produces advance weapons, launches cyber attacks and backs Hezbollah, whose agents are all over the world.
Itay Blumenthal
Published: 06.09.15, 21:19 / Israel News
Iran poses Israel in particular and the world at large a five-layered threat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening in his speech at the Herzliya Conference.
The main threat from Tehran is its nuclear program, a threat which will not be alleviated by the nuclear deal currently being negotiated between the Islamic Republic and world powers, Netanyahu said. The sanctions relief the agreement offers, the prime minister said, would give Iran "no less than $150 billion," money it desperately needs.
Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Herzliya Conference (Photo: George Ginsburg)
"As soon as sanctions are removed, they will get hundreds of billions of dollars, which will bolster Iran's aggression," Netanyahu said. The prime minister also asserted that whether Iran breaks the agreement or not, it will still pose as a threat.
"Iran insists on not having real supervision because it is being left with the infrastructure to enrich uranium," enabling it to break the agreement, he said. On the other hand, if it does not break the agreement, "within 10-12 years it could build an infrastructure of hundreds of centrifuges, with international approval." Those centrifuges, the prime minister said, would be 25 times more effective than Tehran's existing centrifuges.
Another threat Iran poses is by arming its allies with advanced weapons, "some of which are aimed at us," Netanyahu said. A third threat is posed by Iran's ally Hezbollah, whose agents operate in over 30 countries around the world. Tehran also poses a cyber threat to Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia.
The fifth threat - Tehran produces advanced weaponry like drones, satellites and submarines. "Their work is impressive," Netanyahu said. "They take a project and finish it in record speed."
Meanwhile, the top US military officer, General Martin Dempsey, reassured Israeli officials that Washington would work to mitigate Iran-related risks, with or without a deal. Dempsey said that while Iran would likely spend some newfound resources gained from sanctions relief on its military and its surrogates,
the long-term prospects were "far better" with an Iran that wasn't a nuclear power.
Netanyahu warns of Iran's five-layered threat - Israel News, Ynetnews