In his first sit-down interview with an American news outlet, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Friday that Israel has updated its target list and is preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites if the world does not act to stop Iran’s nuclear development.
Speaking with Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, Gantz said Israel has found numerous targets in Iran that would slow its nuclear development if attacked.
“If the world stops them before, it’s very much good,” Gantz said. “But if not, we must stand independently and we must defend ourselves by ourselves.”
Yingst tweeted a segment of their interview, in which Gantz said Israel has identified thousands of rocket sites targets along the Israeli border with Lebanon, including many that are in civilian areas.
“EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz shows Fox News a classified target map, revealing Hezbollah missiles amid civilian infrastructure,” Yingst tweeted.
“This is a target map. Each one of them has been checked legally, operationally, intelligence-wise and we are ready to fight,” Gantz said, showing Yingst a map of potential targets in Lebanon.
Gantz’s comments come as Iran has increasingly breached the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In January, Iran said it had enriched 17 kilograms of uranium to 20 percent purity, up from 3.67 percent permitted under the deal.
Gantz’s comments come amid uncertainty about the fate of the Iran nuclear deal and whether the U.S. will negotiate a return to the agreement. Israel has previously threatened to attack Iran if the U.S. rejoins the deal or even eases sanctions on the country.
During the interview, Gantz also said Israel anticipates attacks by Iran through proxies in Syria and Lebanon. Gantz said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has hundreds of thousands of rockets.
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