Iran’s attack on Israel was not just a volley of missiles, it was a volley of 181 ballistic missiles, each with a warhead payload of between 700-1,000 kilograms, which could destroy entire buildings. Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said today, this is unprecedented in the history of our wars.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the ambassador described Iran’s rapid escalation against Israel as “a very serious situation”, adding that “fortunately we have the best missile defense systems in the world, so most missiles can be intercepted.” The only missiles that hit Israel were in open areas that are not protected, and caused no significant damage.”
He further stated that “this is not the first time”, explaining that Israel has nothing against the Iranian people, but instead against “the fundamentalist regime in Iran”, which he said had ” Have tried repeatedly to destroy it”.
Mr. Azar said, “Iran’s regime has been funding various terrorist groups for the last 30 years. They take money from their own people and finance extremists by funding them. Israel will protect itself and this regime.” Will not be allowed to succeed.”
Damage and Retribution
Referring to the IDF or Israel Defense Forces, the ambassador said that “Fortunately we have had no loss of life in Israel and not much damage. But unfortunately, the tragic loss of life of a Palestinian civilian from Gaza What happened, where an Iranian missile killed a Palestinian.”
Without giving details of a possible retaliatory attack, Mr. Azar said, “We have a challenge because these types of radicalized people cannot be stopped. We have seen this again and again. When Hamas launched a terrorist attack on us or When Nasrallah decided to attack Israel for 11 months, he doesn’t even care about his own people, risking their lives is how we deal a serious blow to these extremists.”
The ambassador further clarified that Israel is not against the people of Iran, nor are they in the business of setting up regimes in other countries. “Israel only defends itself”, he said, adding, “We put our lives on the line to defend our country, not to change political realities in other countries.”
However he added that “We have seen in the past how the Iranian people have rebelled against the fundamentalist regime. Change will not come from outside, it will come from within, if that happens. As far as Israel is concerned – we can only The level of security of our people that is going to be involved”
“The people of Israel and Iran have had friendly relations for thousands of years. Iran is not Israel’s enemy. The Persian people have a rich history, an ancient civilization, that used to have wonderful engagement with the people of Israel,” Mr. Azar Said.
“We want a situation where our threat to national security can be dealt with effectively, a situation where our people can return to their homes in northern Israel, we want a situation where UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559 Israel does not want to be an occupying force in Lebanon, nor does it want to decide Lebanon’s political future, the envoy said.
Disappointment with the United Nations Secretary General
Speaking about the UN chief, the ambassador said that the UN is doing great work, but “unfortunately there are factions within the UN that are biased. It is unfortunate that the UN has a rigged system, in which Are the majority.” Some countries can manipulate the functioning of the UN, like you have a Secretary General of the UN who is not condemning this terrible attack of missiles, it is very worrying.”
The envoy added, “The United Nations must be neutral and impartial.”
Can India play a role in bringing peace?
Asked whether India could play a diplomatic role to bring peace in the region, the Israeli envoy said, “It is for India to decide. Diplomacy can always work. We initially talked about it through diplomatic channels on October 7.” Tried to resolve the issues after the attack, but that did not work. Sometimes when there are extremist regimes, to defend themselves, it has to be dealt with firmly.”
He further said that India is an important player and friend of Israel, and New Delhi will definitely help build the Middle East back as a “corridor of stability – which connects Asia and Europe”. He said, India is a partner of Israel.
Relations with Arab countries
The Israeli envoy highlighted that during the nearly year-long crisis in West Asia and Israel’s efforts to protect itself, “not a single Arab country has broken relations with Israel,” he said, “in fact In the course of this year, Israel has been building its security cooperation and its intelligence cooperation throughout the Middle East, what this shows… is that when this conflict is over, it will help in building a peaceful and progressive Middle East. All these interested countries will work together to achieve this, which shows that there is an alternative to extremism, to fundamentalism.”
In his concluding remarks, the ambassador made clear that “Hamas is no longer a threat to Israel, Hezbollah has been dealt a serious blow, and Iran will now pay a price for what it has done.”
