A junior Israeli minister’s remark that appeared to be open to the idea of Israel launching a nuclear attack on Gaza, according to Russia’s foreign ministry, seemed to have raised many doubts.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday barred Amihay Eliyahu, the heritage minister for the far-right party in the coalition government, from attending cabinet meetings “until further notice.”
When asked in a radio program about the possibility of going nuclear, Eliyahu said, “That’s one way.”
The official RIA news agency cited Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, stating, “This has raised many questions.”
According to Zakharova, the primary concern was that Israel seemed to have acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons.
Despite having around 90 nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists, Israel does not officially acknowledge possessing atomic weapons.
“Question number one: It turns out that we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?” said Zakharova.
If that is the case, she questioned, where are international nuclear inspectors and the International Atomic Energy Agency?
The Arab world criticized Eliyahu’s remark, which shocked the Israeli media and received the label “objectionable” from an American official. Iran demanded a prompt international reaction.
“To disarm this heinous and discriminatory dictatorship, the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency must act immediately and consistently. Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, stated on platform X on Monday that “tomorrow is late.”
