Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that he would not shy away from a clash with the US as part of his efforts to counter Iran's nuclear program to ensure Israel's survival.
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Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for newly appointed Mossad chief David Barnea, Netanyahu vowed that "Israel will deny Iran nuclear weapons" even if that complicates its relations with "our greatest friend: the United States."
According to Netanyahu, Israel might have to ultimately choose between "friction with the US and removing an existential threat" and it will choose the latter, which he said was constantly growing, but he added that he hoped Israel would not have to make that choice.
Netanyahu added: "The greatest threat we face is the existential threat created by Iran's attempts to get nuclear weapons. This could be in the form of threatening us – a small and clustered country – with annihilation, or with tens of thousands of missiles that would get a nuclear umbrella. This could pose a threat to the Zionist enterprise and we must counter this without stopping."
Netanyahu said that in his recent conversation with US President Joe Biden – whom he called "my friend for the last 40 years" – he said that Israel will continue with its efforts to counter the Islamic republic "with or without a nuclear deal."
The Biden administration is currently holding talks with Tehran over the lifting of sanctions in return for the freezing of its nuclear program, but Israel believes such a deal would pave the way for Iran's nuclearization and only stall it at best.
Netanyahu then stressed again that "we will continue doing everything we can to thwart Iran's attempts to get nuclear weapons."
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