Tashkent – Israeli Ambassador to Uzbekistan Gideon Lustig presented his country's official position on the current Middle East situation during a meeting with journalists in Tashkent. The diplomat detailed the reasons why Israel and the U.S. transitioned to an active military operation phase at this moment.

According to Lustig, the current confrontation has escalated beyond a bilateral conflict, affecting the interests of the entire region. He emphasized that Israel views its actions not as aggression but as a necessary preventive measure to avert a future existential threat.

The ambassador outlined four key factors: Iran's accelerated ballistic missile production, deployment of military infrastructure underground, retention of highly enriched uranium (up to 60%), and the assessment that stopping the program would become significantly harder in the future.

Lustig stated: "We are under direct, constant threat from Iran. Iranian leadership has openly declared its intention to destroy Israel for decades."

He noted that Israel identifies three main directions in Iran's military strategy: nuclear program development, ballistic missile program, and support for armed groups in the region.

Placing infrastructure in underground shelters complicates future neutralization capabilities, according to Israel. Lustig added: "If we had not acted now, in the near future they could reach a level where their capabilities would become much harder to destroy."

The main argument centered on the decision being based on an assessment of a "window of opportunity."

Source: podrobno.uz