Kohavi: Attack on Iran at Center of Israeli Army Preparations

Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi. AFP file photo
Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi. AFP file photo
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Kohavi: Attack on Iran at Center of Israeli Army Preparations

Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi. AFP file photo
Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi. AFP file photo

Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi has said it was Israel’s “moral obligation” to prepare a military response against Iran’s nuclear program.

In a speech at a ceremony marking the change of the military’s Home Front Command chief on Sunday, Kohavi said: “Preparing the home front for war is a task that must be accelerated in the coming years, especially in light of the possibility that we will be required to act against the nuclear threat.”

The Times of Israel quoted him as saying that the Israeli army “continues to prepare vigorously for an attack on Iran and must prepare for every development and every scenario.”

Kohavi said “preparing a military option against the Iranian nuclear program is a moral obligation and a national security order.”

He added that such preparation is “at the center” of the Israeli army’s preparations, and includes “a variety of operational plans, the allocation of many resources, the acquisition of appropriate weapons, intelligence and training.”

Last month, dozens of Israeli warplanes conducted air maneuvers over the Mediterranean Sea, simulating striking Iranian nuclear facilities.



France Says It Intercepted Drones Targeting Israel Prior to Iran Ceasefire

Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces for France delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces for France delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
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France Says It Intercepted Drones Targeting Israel Prior to Iran Ceasefire

Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces for France delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces for France delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

France's military took part in efforts to stop Iranian drones targeting Israel prior to this week's ceasefire, the country's defense minister Sebastien Lecornu said late on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that the French army intercepted less than 10 drones in the last few days during the different military operations conducted by the Iran against Israel, either by ground-to-air systems or via our Rafale fighter jets," Lecornu said during a parliamentary debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Lecornu said Iran had launched some 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones towards Israel during the 12-day conflict.

Israel started attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to destroy its arch-enemy's nuclear capabilities. Its strikes wiped out a senior echelon of Iran's military command and killed several nuclear scientists. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured in the country.

Tehran's retaliatory missiles killed at least 28 people in Israel and damaged hundreds of buildings, until a ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday.