Major General Eyal Zamir, who until recently served as deputy chief of staff, warned that Israel is prepared for immediate military action against the Iranian nuclear program.
Speaking at an IAC conference in Miami, Zamir said that Israel should be disturbed by the talks taking place in Vienna between Iran and superpowers, and he emphasized: "The Iranians cannot be trusted. Iran will only be stopped if it faces a clear threat, which would deter it. We would prefer the US lead this threat, which must have two components: willingness and ability. "
"Willingness alone is not enough, and ability alone is not enough. The United States has both, but if it does not act, Israel will be required to act. If Iran achieves nuclear breakout status tomorrow, Israel will act. I know the plans. We have the ability to do that," Zamir told Israel Hayom.
Zamir, who served until last summer as deputy chief of staff, is currently on a year of study in Washington awaiting a decision on who will serve as the IDF's next chief of staff, after Aviv Kochavi.
In the conversation, he added that Israel is acting in Syria much more than is known, in order to stop Iranian aspirations in the area. "Iran wanted to establish a Hezbollah-like army in Syria as well. We prevented that. "
Referring to Gaza, Zamir, who previously served as commander of the Southern Command, said that "it is only a matter of time until the next round of fighting in the Gaza Strip." He said the IDF was prepared for this, including the possibility that extensive ground operations would be required in Gaza.