00:00India Today's Gaurav Sawant, who spoke exclusively to Israel's envoy to India, Reuven Azhar, listening to what he said.
00:16Joining me on this special broadcast is Israel's ambassador to India, Ambassador Reuven Azhar.
00:21Ambassador, welcome on India Today.
00:23What was the need to mount this Operation Rising Lion right now, sir?
00:28What was the specific threat, the specific intelligence input that Israel has to justify being claimed that this was an existential threat to Israel?
00:37Thank you, Gaurav, for this interview.
00:40First of all, I would like to extend to you, to the entire Indian nation, our condolences for the terrible plane crash yesterday that claimed so many lives.
00:50Our hearts go out to the victims, to the families, and we wish speedy recovery to the injured.
00:58What Israel did is to act upon imminent intelligence about a clandestine group that was assembling a nuclear weapon.
01:10Now, as you know, Gaurav, we have stated time and again that we will not allow Iran to create a nuclear weapon because we are not going to agree that a country that has sworn to destroy us will actually acquire the means to do it.
01:26We have already survived one holocaust only eight years ago.
01:30We have no intention of having another holocaust now.
01:35We said then, never again, and never again is now.
01:39So we had to take action, and that's what we did.
01:43Ambassador, explain the targets in terms of the military targets, the nuclear targets, the leadership in Iran.
01:50For example, General Hussain Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
01:56Why did Israel take him out?
01:57Or, uh, Mohamed, General Bagheiri, the chief of staff.
02:01Are you disrupting the chain of command?
02:04Reports indicate that former Iranian national security advisor Ali Shamkhani has also been killed.
02:09Gauravis are the criminals that were in charge of the plan of extermination of our state.
02:14They are the ones that assembled all the three tracks of extermination that we're pursuing.
02:20The nuclear weapons program, the missile ballistic program, and the ring of fire that we're creating with proxies around us.
02:27These are the people in charge.
02:28These are the people that were relentlessly pursuing our destruction,
02:33and were not listening to the calls of the international community that has been actually talking with them for decades now
02:40to renounce this murderous policy.
02:43So, they pay the price.
02:45Is the American president, Donald Trump, actually threatening Iran when he says,
02:51either you sign the deal or there's worse in store?
02:54Is Israel that sword arm that's targeting Iran militarily for Iran to sign the deal not to make nuclear weapons?
03:04Well, you know, the Iranians couldn't be convinced to do the right thing.
03:08They were, they continue to cheat.
03:10The IEA has mentioned that they were in non-compliance because they breached the safeguards agreement.
03:16They had clandestine activities that were occulting, conceding from the international community.
03:22So, instead of taking President Trump seriously,
03:24they exploited, installed, and played for time in order to assemble a nuclear weapon.
03:32We got them exposed, and we took action.
03:35Ambassador, explain the choice of targets.
03:37Natanz, for example, 250 kilometers south of Tehran.
03:40What was the bomb damage assessment that you can share with us?
03:46We don't have information to share at this point, but what I can tell you is that we have actually taken action to take out their military nuclear capability.
03:58We have taken action against their missile ballistic program.
04:02We have taken action against their leadership, the military leadership, and took action against their air defenses.
04:10So, all in all, this concerted effort is an effort to neutralize their capability to execute their plan to exterminate the state of Israel.
04:18Ambassador, there are reports six nuclear scientists have also been killed in the past 24 hours.
04:25In your appreciation, what does this mean for Iran's nuclear program?
04:30Is this a setback? Will it set them back by some time?
04:34Or is this the end of the nuclear program?
04:36Well, it's too soon to say we are taking action.
04:39This is not over.
04:40We have mentioned and declared that if Iran retaliates, we will retaliate again.
04:46So, we are up to several days of action.
04:50We don't know how long this will take.
04:52But we are determined to neutralize Iran's nuclear program.
04:56Ambassador, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is threatening Israel with a massive strike back.
05:03In your appreciation, what are their capabilities to target Israel,
05:07given that you've taken down several of their missile production units, launch systems, their air defense systems, even in October, and some now?
05:15Well, as you know, Gaurav, we never took lightly the threats of the Iranian radical regime.
05:22Because they have not only declared that they want to exterminate us,
05:26they have invested tens of billions of dollars in creating the capabilities to attack us.
05:31And therefore, we have actually warned the entire Israeli population to take precaution to stay near shelters.
05:39We are anticipating more barrages of missiles and drones from Iran.
05:43And we are determined to defend ourselves from it and retaliate to make sure the Iranian capabilities will be decimated.
05:51Because there is an apprehension that this could escalate into a wider regional conflict.
05:57Your appreciation, will other countries join in?
06:00Will other countries help Iran?
06:02Well, it's completely in the hands of Iran.
06:08At the end of the day, if Iran chooses to target more countries, this will be an escalation that will widen the conflict.
06:16The Americans have told them, and they've warned them that they should be very careful not to target American targets, not to target others.
06:25And if they do, they will bear the consequences.
06:27What is your assessment after the October strikes?
06:32October, you had taken out, Israel had taken out a lot of their air defense systems and their missile production capabilities.
06:40Is Iran very vulnerable?
06:42The fact that you were able to strike and strike with, if I may, impunity.
06:46And that too, in places like Shiraz, deep inside.
06:49What does that indicate?
06:50It indicates that Iran is acting in a brazen way.
06:54Secondly, I stated in this studio and in other studios in the past that the Iranians have been exposed.
07:01Because following their activity, their aggression, in April and in October, we have hit their air defenses and we are continuing to hit them.
07:12So their attempt to sneak out to a nuclear weapon and to a nuclear arsenal are completely responsible.
07:19And they are now paying the price for trying to do that.
07:21Can they still make a nuclear bomb in your appreciation?
07:25I don't know.
07:25It's too early to say.
07:27I don't know.
07:27It's too early to say.
07:28We are in the midst of this effort.
07:30It will take time.
07:31But we are going to make sure that we do everything we can to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
07:37There are reports that seem to indicate that Israel targeted Iran from inside Iran.
07:43Deep inside Iran, you already had your assets in.
07:45What I can confirm at this point is that we have taken an operation with our air force in an attack that took 200 of our fighter jets.
07:56And this is the information I can confirm at this point.
08:00So 200 fighter jets, missiles, and you're willing to do that again?
08:04Absolutely.
08:04What's the threat of a strike back?
08:08The threat of a strike back from Iran, from Houthi rebels, the Houthi forces in Yemen?
08:13We have seen, first of all, an initial retaliation from Iran with a barrage of 100 drones that were fired this morning.
08:23Fortunately, we've been able to foil and to eliminate all the drones.
08:28But more attacks can come.
08:30And we are ready to defend ourselves from those.
08:34Any likelihood of peace talks to find a solution peacefully?
08:38Well, we have tried that for so long.
08:41And we would wish that the Iranian people, which we don't have anything against, would send a message to this radical leadership that they have,
08:53that has sequestrated their future, that has diverted their richness to develop a military capability that's not only threatening Israel,
09:02but the entire region, that they will convince them to change course.
09:06Because Jews and Farsis, they have been having a great relationship for 3,000 years.
09:15There is no reason why this awful regime would take that from us.
09:22We love peace.
09:23We love the Iranian people.
09:25We have a long-term relationship with the Iranian people.
09:29And we can go back to a peaceful and collaborative relationship.
09:35Can you take out, is it also in your target book to take out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or the top leadership?
09:41We have been targeting military targets.
09:45Only military and nuclear centers.
09:48So no political leadership.
09:50No.
09:52Ambassador, for joining me here on this India Today special broadcast, many thanks.
09:56Thank you, Garo.
