Israel: Iran ‘First and Foremost’ on the Agenda For Biden Visit Ahead of President Biden’s first presidential trip to the Middle East this week, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday that countering the threats posed by Iran will be at the top of his government’s agenda for the visit.
He told a cabinet meeting that Biden’s visit beginning Wednesday “will focus first and foremost on the issue of Iran.”
Noting confirmation at the weekend that Iran has begun enriching uranium to up to 20 percent purity using advanced centrifuges at an underground nuclear facility, Lapid called for a “decisive” response from the international community.
“The international response needs to be decisive: to return to the U.N. Security Council and activate the sanctions mechanism at full force,” he said, alluding to U.N. sanctions that were lifted in early 2016 after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal took effect.
“Israel, for its part, reserves for itself full freedom of action, diplomatic and operational, in the fight against the Iranian nuclear program.”
Lapid also pointed to Iran’s sponsorship of anti-Israel terrorism – its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and recent foiled attempts by alleged Iranian terror cells to attack Israeli tourists in Turkey.
“Israel will not stand idly by while Iran tries to attack us. Our security services know how to reach anyone, anywhere – and they will do just that,” he warned................
https://www.cnsnews.com/article/international/patrick-goodenough/israel-iran-first-and-foremost-agenda-biden-visit
