Netanyahu: Preventing Iran's Nuclear Armament Remains Israel's Top Priority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
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Netanyahu: Preventing Iran's Nuclear Armament Remains Israel's Top Priority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)

The need to block Iran's nuclear armament will continue to be Israel's top priority, announced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu spoke at the Knesset plenum attended by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

He noted that the first and most urgent challenge was the joint effort of Israel and the US to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"We properly see the threat posed by the fanatical regime in Iran, which threatens not only Israel but also the United States and the entire free world," the PM noted.

He asserted that Israel would not allow Iran to establish itself militarily along its borders and would do everything to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, met the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, in Brussels.

Cohen aimed to ensure that the EU would take a tougher stance on Iran's repeated violations of its nuclear commitments before June's meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors.

Cohen is expected to ask Borrell to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, according to the Israeli "i24 News" channel.

Last Thursday, Cohen urged his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, to form a broad and firm front against Iran, including economic and political sanctions.

Cohen told Albares, "We must form a broad and determined front against Iran, which includes economic and political sanctions at the same time as a credible military threat."

"Today Europe has a better understanding of the danger of the Iranian rule of terror," the Israeli minister tweeted.

He indicated that he discussed strengthening relations between Israel and the European Union- with Spain in particular- in the fields of cyber and fin-tech.



Türkiye Denies Overflight Permission for a Plane Carrying Israel’s President

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
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Türkiye Denies Overflight Permission for a Plane Carrying Israel’s President

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)

Türkiye has denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane the right to use its airspace, preventing him from traveling to Azerbaijan, the Turkish state-run news agency reported.

The Anadolu Agency report late Sunday said Israeli authorities requested permission for the plane to access the Turkish airspace on its way to Baku, Azerbaijan, where Herzog was scheduled to attend the COP29 conference on climate change.

The agency based its report on unnamed Turkish officials. It did not say when the permission was denied.

A statement from Herzog's office said the decision to cancel the president's trip to Baku was due to “the situation assessment and for security reasons.” It did not comment on the Turkish report.

Türkiye has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It has suspended trade relations with Israel, accused the country of genocide and voiced support to Hamas.