Itongadol.- Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon met with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon on Tuesday, where he highlighted Jerusalem\’s concerns about Iran\’s nuclear ambitions.
A nuclear Iran remains "the most significant threat," Ya\’alon told his US counterpart, echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned this week of the danger of leaving Iran a nuclear threshold state.
"We are following the talks [between the world powers and Iran] closely," the defense minister said, outlining Iran\’s actions that worry Israel – from arming Hezbollah in Lebanon to backing Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
With a month left on the clock until negotiations between Iran and six world powers reach a self-imposed, November-24 deadline – the minister voiced concern about what kind of deal would emerge from the current round of talks, noting that in some cases "no deal is better than a bad deal."
Turning to Hamas next, Ya\’alon said the organization was backed by Turkey and Qatar, and now operates "two terror headquarters: in Gaza and Istanbul." He said the Gaza-based terrorist group has moved its operation from Damascus to Turkey, who he accused of playing a "cynical game."
On the one hand Turkey is a member of NATO, but at the same time, he noted, it "sponsors terrorism against Israel."
Ya\’alon weighed in on other hot-button issues, such as the situation in war-torn Syria, which he deemed "chronically unstable" and the global fight against Islamic State, "a threat to the entire region that needs to be stopped." With all the places the jihadist organization has rooted itself into, defeating them "will be a long process" that will require time, he said.
He also took the opportunity of the Honor Cordon ceremony held in his name, to thank his host Hagel for the support shown by the US Department of Defense during Israel\’s recent armed conflict with Hamas. US aid helped develop the Iron Dome rocket defense system, the star of the seven-week war.
"The State of Israel and the United States are true allies," Ya\’alon said in comments he posted on Facebook after the meeting, "whose relationship is based on mutual values and common interests."
Over the years, the US has stood by Israel\’s side, and continues to do so – a friendship Israel views as a "strategic asset," Ya\’alon said, adding that disagreements between the administrations should not overshadow "our deep bond."
A day earlier, the top Israeli defense official held a meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN chief\’s New York office, where the two discussed, among other topics, the reconstruction of Gaza.
Ya\’alon left for the US on Saturday, October 18, for a five-day visit of high-level meetings.