Israeli defence minister calls for curbing Iran's 'aggression'

Benny Gantz accuses Tehran of arming Lebanese group Hezbollah

JERUSALEM:

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday called for preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state.

"The world must never come to terms with it [Iran] and Israel will never come to terms with it,” Gantz said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

"Actions must be taken to ensure that Iran does not continue to enrich in additional facilities and oversight must be increased," he added.

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"Iranian aggression is rising - not just in the nuclear program but also in its regional attacks." Gantz said.

The Israeli defence minister accused Tehran of arming the Lebanese Hezbollah group via Syria and undermining Lebanon's governance.

On Friday, Hezbollah said it had flown a drone over Israel for 40 minutes on a reconnaissance mission and returned it safely to Lebanon.

Israel "will not hesitate to act anytime and anywhere necessary," Gantz said, in a warning to Hezbollah.