Aharon Haliva
Aharon HalivaIDF Spokesperson

IDF Military Intelligence Directorate commander Major General Aharon Haliva spoke this evening (Monday) at a conference of the Institute for Policy and Strategy of Reichman University in Herzliya, during which he warned of the many threats Iran poses to the State of Israel.

Haliva said that the confrontation with Iran's proxies has turned into a direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic itself - and it is being conducted in many fields: "Not just nuclear, fighting or shipping."

"In our opinion, no decision was made in Iran to reach nuclear weapons breakout capability, neither in enrichment nor in the development of weapons. We have our eyes open for Iran to signal at any moment our readiness for this matter."

According to Haliva, Israel's peace agreements and the Abraham Accords are of supreme strategic importance in every parameter related to the national security of the State. "Israel needs to take a deep look at its position in the region. Israel is a regional power, and it needs to continue to take advantage of its assets in the entire region."

"We live in a time when there is no common ground for all our enemies who are planning the hour of the hour - they are deterred from war with us," he said.

He further stated that the probability of an escalation that could degenerate into a full-scale war is not low. "Exercising measured and calculated force, as part of Israel's national interest, is the way to deal with this while strengthening alliances in the region. To demonstrate military power and to take advantage of opportunities, so that Israel's power will not be only military but national as a whole. The relationship with the United States and the ability to coordinate with it the shared values and policy in the region is of supreme value."

Haliva warned that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "is close to making a mistake that could lead to a major war. The fact that he allows the launching of drones from Syria, all of this creates a high potential for escalation in the region and we need to be prepared. Don't get us wrong. We are ready to use force.''