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.



Small Plane Crashes into Brazil Tourist City, Killing at Least 10

A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
TT

Small Plane Crashes into Brazil Tourist City, Killing at Least 10

A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara

A small plane carrying 10 people crashed into shops in the center of the tourist city of Gramado in southern Brazil on Sunday, killing everyone on board, state government officials said.
The aircraft's owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, died along with the other nine passengers, all of whom were members of his family, according to Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite.
In addition, 17 people on the ground were injured, Leite said at a press conference, with 12 still receiving hospital care, including two in critical condition, Reuters reported.
Manufactured in 1990, the twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 took off shortly after 9 am local time from nearby Canela airport and was heading to Jundiai in Sao Paulo state under unfavorable weather conditions, the governor said.
He noted that the cause of the crash is being investigated by the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).
The plane reportedly first struck the chimney of a building then the second floor of a house before crashing into a furniture store, authorities said. Debris also reached a nearby inn.
Nestled in a mountainous region, Gramado is the most popular tourist destination in Rio Grande do Sul, which was severely impacted earlier this year by unprecedented floods that claimed dozens of lives, destroyed infrastructure and significantly disrupted the state's economy.