Jerusalem. August 10. INTERFAX-The international community should unite and put an end to Iran's destabilizing actions, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Tuesday during a visit to the Israeli Northern Military District.
"We call on the international community to take action and stop the Iranian aggression. This is the time for joint actions, " the Times of Israel quotes the minister as saying.
"As we saw during the recent attack at sea (on the Mercer Street tanker), which claimed the lives of two foreigners, Iran is the greatest threat to global and regional peace. Israel will not stand by while Iran develops its nuclear program, " he said.
Speaking about the situation in Lebanon, for which the Northern Military District is responsible for the border, Gantz said that the Shiite movement Hezbollah uses the crisis situation in this country for its own benefit-with the direct influence of Iran, but at the expense of the security of Lebanese residents. He pointed to Israel's readiness to help Lebanon, but noted that the Israeli military will not tolerate attacks across the border of the two countries.
Meanwhile, Western media reported that the head of the CIA, William Burns, was due to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for talks on the Iran problem. There was also information that Burns would meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
