Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) on Tuesday evening responded to the lethal Islamic State (ISIS) bombings in Brussels earlier in the day that left 34 murdered, and warned that "World War III" is looming.
"Western culture in recent years has been under an indiscriminate and uninhibited radical Islamic terror assault, whose goal is to harm and disrupt the lives of citizens of the free world," Ya'alon said. "The attacks this morning in Brussels and on Saturday in Istanbul are examples of this."
The minister determined that "the war against this terror and the attempts to disrupt the lives of citizens of Western countries obligates us to unify in a fierce, creative and uncompromising fight against its sources, its funders and instigators."
"The way to do that will be by continuing to join arms with the security and intelligence forces of states of the free world, and an understanding that this is World War III against our shared humane values. It's a war and if we don't deal with it with the proper tools, at all levels, it will continue to harm and sow destruction."
Ya'alon said that Israel "share and will continue to share knowledge, experience and intelligence with the Western states, so as to confront this terror together."
"We must not let the terrorists and those who send them influence our lives. We will win this struggle, because we have no other choice."
"I ask to send my condolences to the families of those murdered in the attacks and to strengthen the citizens of Belgium in these difficult hours," concluded Ya'alon.
In Tuesday's attacks terrorists detonated explosives at Brussel's airport and metro system, leaving 34 murdered and nearly 200 wounded. Security forces continue to hunt several suspects involved in the assault, which comes just months after another major ISIS attack in Paris last November, in which the terrorists murdered 130 victims.