Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that his country is able to prevent Tehran from producing a nuclear weapon, but that Tel Aviv needs assistance to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities.
“We have tools capable of preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons,” the former PM said during a radio interview Friday, adding that since 2005, Israel has been constantly and on a daily basis preoccupied with the Iranian nuclear issue.
Commenting on US President Joe Biden’s visit to the region, Olmert said, “Biden brought one good news when he pledged that in the absence of a certain solution and in the failure of diplomatic efforts, he will not rule out a military option against Tehran because Washington is committed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
The former PM stressed that Israel has a huge military force, but it remains insufficient to allow Tel Aviv fight Iran alone.
“This is due to the long distances that separate both countries, the limited range of combat aircraft, the characteristic of the Israeli forces’ composition, and the spread of nuclear reactors over vast and numerous areas,” he said.
Olmert served as Israeli Prime Minister from 2004 to 2009, when Tel Aviv was capable of destroying the Syrian nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.
He said that during his term, heads of Israeli specialized apparatuses told him that the Iranians were working to produce a nuclear weapon in 2008, or at the latest in 2009.
“Here we are today in 2022 and Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. It is not because the Iranians do not want to, but because of the huge obstacles that we placed in front of them,” he stressed.
Olmert then warned against the arrival of a government in Israel that does not work in harmony and cooperation with the US administration.
“A situation may arise in which the Americans are not convinced that the Iranian nuclear weapons threaten their vital interests. But their commitment not to leave Israel alone will be crucial,” he stressed.
