() — Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reiterated his nation’s desire to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon and argued that Iran wants to destroy Israel.
Bennett joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss the conflict with Iran, which saw at least five Israelis die Monday after new Iranian strikes.
“Our goals are to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, to take out their ballistic missile centers, and to basically get them to stop being a terror state,” Bennett told .
“We have no issue with Iran whatsoever, if they would just carry along with their lives peacefully. Our problem is that they want to destroy us, and they’ve been working darn hard to do that.”
Bennett said he was not privy to whether Israeli leaders were discussing with President Trump the possibility of killing Iran’s supreme leader.
He argued the timing for Israel’s first attack was justified after Iran did not agree to a deal amid President Trump’s 60-day deadline.
“Israel should stop attacking if Iran agrees to dismantle the nuclear program, to dismantle the ballistic missile program, and to stop terrorizing us,” Bennett said. “Look, we’re not asking for a lot. All we’re asking is for Iran to take care of its own business and let Israel live. All right, they’re the ones who want to destroy us. We don’t want to destroy Iran.”
Despite damage and losses of life, Bennett argues that if Israel did not attack Iran, it would face “atomic missiles hitting” and destroying Israel.
Bennett added he hopes the Iranian people can overthrow the current regime.
“This is an opportune moment, because we’ve basically taken out Iran’s air defenses, taken out its military leadership, the IRGC leadership, regime elements,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a better time. In Jewish culture, there is a well-known statement: ‘If not now, when?’ So now is the moment. And I hope for the Iranian people that they’ll succeed and become free again. “
