Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on Sunday that Iran launched two medium-range ballistic missiles towards a joint military base in the Indian Ocean last Friday. Although the missiles did not hit the base, it exposed Iran’s previous deception about the range of its missiles to the international community. European countries must be alert to this.
During an interview with Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst in the southern Israeli city of Arad on Sunday, Bennett issued a warning to Europe regarding Iran’s missile range. Prior to the interview, Iran attacked the city with missiles on Saturday night, leaving over a hundred people injured.
Last Friday, Iran also launched two medium-range ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia, a joint British-American military base in the Indian Ocean, approximately 2,500 miles away from Iran. While the attack was unsuccessful, it indicates that Iran may not be adhering to the self-imposed limit of 2,000 kilometers for its missile range as previously claimed. This raises concerns about Iran’s capability to target farther American and European destinations, beyond what the international community had anticipated.
Bennett emphasized that the United States and Israel are not only protecting their own security and interests but are also fighting to safeguard Europe and prevent a nuclear “nightmare.”
He told Yingst, “It’s important that Europe is waking up now and understanding that under President Trump’s leadership, the United States and Israel are preventing an Iranian nuclear nightmare aimed at all of Europe.”
“We are fighting this war to protect Europe,” he continued. “The lies have now been exposed. Iran has missiles that can reach Madrid, Berlin, and Paris. Now they have suddenly realized they are under threat from Iran.”
Similar comments have also been made by Israeli military leaders. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated on Saturday that based on the range of Iran’s medium-range missiles launched towards Diego Garcia, many European capitals fall within the strike range of these missiles.
According to CNN, Jeffrey Lewis, a global security expert at Middlebury College, reported that in 2017, Iran’s Supreme Leader at the time, Ali Khamenei, claimed to have imposed a 2,000-kilometer range limit on Iran’s missiles. However, Iran has been developing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of “space launches.”
(Reference: Fox News)