Lapid: Deal with Iran Depends on ‘Credible Military Option’

Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
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Lapid: Deal with Iran Depends on ‘Credible Military Option’

Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid considered that the nuclear agreement with Iran was “possible if a credible military threat is put on the table,” stressing that he instructed the army and Mossad leaders to prepare to defend Israel’s security.

“We are making a concerted effort to ensure the Americans and Europeans understand the dangers involved in this agreement,” Lapid said, stressing that the agreement signed in 2015 was “not a good deal,” and that the one currently being discussed involved “greater dangers.”

According to the Israeli premier, a new agreement would have to include an expiration date, and tighter supervision that would also “address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its involvement in terrorism throughout the Middle East.”

“We can reach such an agreement if a credible military threat is put on the table, if the Iranians realize that their defiance and deceit will have a heavy price,” Lapid said.

He added that the army and Mossad had “received instructions from us to prepare for any scenario.”

Meanwhile, an Israeli security source noted that official contacts were underway to arrange a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Lapid during the United Nations session next month in New York.

The source said that the proposed date was Sept. 20, following Biden’s speech before the UN, adding: “It is expected that the meeting, which may not take place on its announced date due to the two officials’ busy schedule, would be preceded by a telephone conversation that will be coordinated in the upcoming week.”

In parallel, a group of generals in Tel Aviv warned against any conflict with Washington over the ongoing talks with Iran.

General Amos Gilad, former head of the Political and Security Department in the Ministry of Defense, and General Yaakov Amidror, former head of the National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that any attempt to prevent the nuclear agreement would fail.

“The US administration cannot force Iran to stop its nuclear or regional policy, neither through diplomatic means nor through sanctions,” they said, stressing the need for “a serious and convincing threat of the military option.”

Gilad said that Iran’s policy was a “central strategic threat to Israel.”

He pointed out that the country was seeking to turn into a “state with nuclear capabilities”, in addition to its ability to launch electronic attacks.



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).