Times of Israel – Dec 29, 2023
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett revealed that he directed Israel’s security forces to strike Iran on two separate occasions in 2022, in an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal Thursday.
Bennett gave details of the two strikes in the short article, in which he argued that Israel and the US need to topple the Iranian ayatollahs’ regime, “the source of endless war, terror and suffering throughout the world.”
The article was headlined, “The US and Israel need to take Iran on directly,” with the underline urging: “Make the ayatollahs pay for sowing chaos through their Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi proxies.”
The first time Israel struck Iran under Bennett’s watch was in February 2022, according to the former premier, when he authorized a strike against a UAV base on Iranian soil in response to two failed drone attacks launched at Israel by Tehran.
In the second instance, in March 2022, Bennett indicated that he authorized security forces to assassinate senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer Hassan Sayyad Khodaei — though he didn’t mention him by name — after an Iranian attempt to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey.
As prime minister, Bennett wrote, “I directed Israel’s security forces to make Tehran pay for its decision to sponsor terror. Enough impunity. After Iran launched two failed UAV attacks on Israel in February 2022, Israel destroyed a UAV base on Iranian soil. In March 2022, Iran’s terror unit attempted to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey and failed. Shortly thereafter, the commander of that very unit was assassinated in the center of Tehran.”
Bennett hinted in the past that Israel was responsible for the killing of Khodaei but had stopped short of acknowledging it.
Israel has been linked to numerous strikes in Iran over the years, primarily against the country’s nuclear program, as well as assassinations of senior figures, but rarely publicly confirms Jerusalem’s role.
In The Wall Street Journal article, after citing Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets, Bennett leveled scathing criticism on Tehran.
“It turns out that Iran’s tyrants are softer than one might expect. They gleefully send others to die for them. But when they’re hit at home, suddenly they become timid,” he wrote.
Bennett argued in the article that Israel and the US should focus on bringing down the Iranian regime directly — rather than continuing to fight its proxies across the Middle East — noting that he experienced Iran-backed terror directly when he battled Hezbollah in Lebanon as a soldier.
He opened the article by listing terror groups serving as proxies in Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance: “Hamas and Islamic Jihad, backed by Iran, massacred 1,200 Israelis on October 7, resulting in full-scale war in Gaza. Hezbollah, also backed by Iran, has launched more than 1,000 rockets at northern Israeli communities since then, risking regional conflagration. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are attacking and hijacking ships in the Suez Canal, threatening one of the world’s most vital waterways. Militias in Syria and Iraq, with support from Iran, are attacking US bases and—as always—threatening moderate Arab nations.”
“Notice a pattern?” Bennett asked. “The Iranian regime is at the center of most of the Middle East’s problems and much of global terror.”
The former prime minister compared the current situation to the Cold War standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1980s: “On one side, there is a corrupt, incompetent and hollow empire — the Islamic Republic of Iran –similar to the Soviet Union in the 1980s. On the other side, there is a thriving, free and strong democracy — Israel (and its allies) — reminiscent of the US in the original Cold War.”
He argued that “just as the demise of the Soviet Union didn’t result from total war,” Israel and the US can use non-military efforts to “weaken Iran.”
Specifically, he recommended empowering domestic opposition to the Islamic Republic, taking steps to ensure internet continuity during riots against the regime, strengthening Iran’s enemies, and increasing sanctions and economic pressures.
The short opinion piece ended by restating Bennett’s primary point, that Israel and the US should be focused on “bringing down Iran’s evil regime.”
Bennett served as prime minister from June 2021 to June 2022.
A number of Israeli officials were quick to react to the article on Friday, criticizing Bennett for revealing classified information and saying that he was potentially putting the country in danger.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday during a visit to an air force base that “the operations of the air force in all sectors is very impressive and it’s fitting that the roar of the jets drown out the superfluous talk and allow IDF forces to carry out their mission quietly and securely.”
Senior Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, shared the emblem of the Israeli Military Censor in his post on X, and said, “There are those who mobilize for the sake of the state, and there are those who mobilize the state for their own sake.”
Bennett defended himself in a written statement, in which he reiterated the importance of “mobilizing the US and other allies for the overarching goal… overthrowing the Iranian regime.”
“The issue with Iran is not the publication of moves we made against it that were already public knowledge, but that they hold us hostage through Hamas and Hezbollah, and even the Houthis,” he wrote. “The governments of the last decade talk and preach, but don’t exact a painful price from the leaders of Iran.”
Bennett’s op-ed came days after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had increased the rate at which it is producing near-weapons-grade uranium in recent weeks, reversing a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year.
Diplomats believe Western powers have been reluctant to get tough on Tehran in recent months for fear of aggravating Middle East tensions as Iran grows its nuclear program and reduces cooperation with the UN watchdog. Worries of a wider regional conflict have sharpened since Hamas’s devastating October 7 onslaught and Israel’s subsequent offensive aimed at eliminating the terror group in Gaza.
War erupted when thousands of terrorists from the Iran-backed group stormed into southern Israel, brutally massacring at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians in their homes and at a music festival, and seizing some 240 hostages.
And there was I thinking that the American government and the Chosenicks were at the heart of all the trouble in the middle east , obviously killing innocent men women and children in order to steal their land and resources counts for nothing . Bennett is delusional and actually believes that God was in the real-estate business .
The real warmonger and criminal state is the psychotic state called israel which is part of Palestine.
These so called zionists are occupiers. Now, one can see why this babylonian cult was kicked out of so many countries around the world. These nomads wherever they go, they create crimes by killing and stealing and blame other nationals. This horrible cult, their goal is to create massive chaos in countries so they can take over. Iran, has the moral right to defend Palestine and its indigenous people – the Palestinians. May, glory always be with Palestine and Iran and its citizens. The USA is coming apart turning into Gaza strip II.
Lies and deception is what this occupied israel is all about. May glory always be with Iran and Palestine. Defeat this babylonian cult.
Such absurd grim irony that rabid Israhelli maniacs would claim their ceaseless attacks on a variety of nations have been retaliation for those nations “sponsoring terrorism”. Anyone who doesn’t think Jewry and Israhell are THE problem hasn’t been paying the least bit of attention…for 2000 years.
How many times has Iran bombed Israhell? Zero. How many times has Syria bombed Israhell? Zero. How many times has the Jewnited States bombed Israhell? Zero. How many times has the Jew-K bombed Israhell? Zero. And so on and so on. Yet the number of bombings, mayhem, and murder going in the other direction is quite significant. Israhell should have been carpet-bombed into smouldering ruins after that stunt against the USS Liberty back in 1967…and should have been nuked into a massive stretch of radioactive glowing glass in response to 9/11.
Whatever destruction Israhell may be subjected to won’t be nearly enough for all their massive crimes against humanity.
I turned on my TV going through channels. Came upon a Premier League game today between Nottingham Forest & Manchester United. Didn’t see any white English players on either side. Most of them were blacks, mongrels and wogs. Another pattern I’ve noticed is that there are numerous mulattoes with hyphenated English surnames on all these teams. For example something named ‘Gibbs-White’ was being hyped up by the broadcasters. Ugly looking fiend. Nonetheless, it appears these are offspring of negroes & white Englishwomen who allow these anthropoids to plant their simian seed in them. These Negro-English mulattoes are then enlisted in youth soccer leagues who are selected by ZOG to become millionaires on these pro teams instead of white English youth. Instead they’ll tell you ‘oh they’re ‘English’ too…the white Brits fill up the stadiums cheering for this genetic scum.
broderick —
we had our chance with Hitler but blew it
These Zionists badly need to dig up some past victories against Iran to feel better. In the covert war Iran/Resistance Axis has also retaliated against them many times.
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/israeli-agent-drowned-in-italian-boat-accident-was-part-of-mission-targeting-iranian-weapons-media-report/2913068
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/mossad-agent-who-died-in-italy-boat-wreck-not-on-vacation
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/analyst-missile-motor-test-likely-caused-blast-in-israel-united-arab-emirates-dubai-benny-gantz-vienna-arrow-b1837136.html
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https://new.thecradle.co/articles-id/5979
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There have been many other covert or overt retaliations against Zionists. If you look at the timeline, they had a civil unrest in Iran and this was their ultimate combined attack, now that it has long failed and Iran is stable again. Everything they did to Iran, they have been suffering themselves as in a Karma, with civil unrest, assassinations, sabotage, etc… the climax of all of it was Oct 7th, They have also been hacked naked! So when they hack a bank interface with some petrol stations in Iran they make a huge deal out of it and immediately claim responsibility, because they need this badly, if their image of superiority is shattered they feel naked both inside and outside! They are fully naked now! In contrast Iran never assumes direct responsibility or glorifies its covert actions, as IRGC commander Hajizadeh said with a smile: “It’s the work of the resistance throughout the region, we also have a God!”
Zionists have a huge mouth, constantly threatening Iran, a target out of their league, until people of Gaza took them by the balls, it is now clear even with all those weapons, they can’t beat Hamas military AlQassam, let alone Hezbollah.
They give drones to government of Morroco, Iran gives drones to Polisario Front rebels
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/06/27/iran-drones-morocco/
They give drones to rebels in Ethiopia, Iran gives drones to Ethiopian government
This one is older: CIA helps Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, Iran supports the government there and Tamils are defeated now by the way!
There is more in Africa. So it’s not like you can become number one “Nation-State Sponsor of Terrorism” and the greatest enemy of Netanyahu by chance. Now people like Henry Macow say everyone is controlled opposition! He can;t answer though how can this controlled opposition get so complex and widespread!
the only terrorists in the world are ZIO/US/UK !
every else are RETALIATIONS !
I take the view football is an enjoyable spectacle, but I will not pay good money to support it. I watch “Match of The Day”, about the only regular BBC programme that I do.
There is of course the socio-political aspect of it all. I’m currently collecting all the woke social engineering “news items” on LGBT, “racism”, and so from the BBC sports page….
Indeed, a double barrel name is either indicative of a posh middle class English family where the female is “unfortunate” enough to marry a common Smith, Jones, or a Brown, and decides to keep her maiden name like Carruthers, Churchill, or Posh Arse, to become Carruthers Smith, Churchill Jones, or Posh Arse Brown. Or in football terms, double barrelling occurs when the Black father of a mixed race child has simply fucked off.
The abilities of Black, White, and Asian footballers allow for an interesting examination of racial characteristics. Good Black footballers invariably leverage their speed. The best midfield playmakers are invariably White – this is a position corresponding roughly to that of an American football quarterback.
As you say, Black and mulattoes are disproportionately represented. In fact, it demonstrates ethnic differences like few other spectacles. In English football, the almost complete lack of footballers of South Asian ancestry has led to the usual hand wringing of “racism”. Yet, I recall reading in an Indian website on cricket, how this game naturally suited the non-athletic nature of Indians. Indians while lacking in the bone density stakes often making up for it in cerebral density, boasting many fine chess players. So horses for courses…
And on the subject of horses for courses, the supposed lack of Black managers is argued as a another instance of “racism”. Yet football is financially driven and yet strives to bend the knee to wokeism. One of these considerations has to be abandoned for the other to triumph. If the best football managers happen to be Spanish or Italian then so be it. Professional sport is not the civil service or the interviewing panel of the BBC that has appointed a Black woman as its astronomy “expert” on “The Sky At Night”. If professional football was state controlled, Black managers would get a ten point start for their teams and codified refereeing decisions weighted towards them, in order to facilitate “equal outcomes”…
If managers do not represent the ethnic makeup of teams, then Crystal Palace’s nine Black players plus two White players in the match against Brentford the other night do not represent the population as a whole! This simple symmetry of the application of proportionately — notwithstanding its inherent stupidity — only seems to find media applicability when endorsing “discrimination” against non-Whites.
It is indeed a head scratcher that predominately White crowds hero worship footballers, many of whom are non-White. Nevertheless, I find that I can set aside the sociopolitical aspects and just enjoy the visual spectacle. I cannot worship anyone who “earns” tens of thousands a week but is stupid enough to be vaxxed.