After the three rounds of direct conflict with Iran since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Israeli officialdom understands that the country cannot afford to let fundamentalists possess destructive capabilities, Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz told JNS on Monday.
“The missile plan of Iran is definitely a strategic weapon in their hands, and I think we should re-prevent it,” he said, speaking at a meeting of his party at the Knesset in Jerusalem.
“When to do it, how to do it, and what is the right calculus, whether it’s regional or global, that’s a different story. But we should not allow Iran to be able to negatively dominate the region,” he added.
Israel has alerted the Trump administration that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile exercise could be a cover for a strike on Israel, Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief of staff, shared the concern with U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, urging close coordination amid growing unease over Iranian missile movements. Cooper met with Zamir and senior Israel Defense Forces officers in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
Between the lines: The sources said the biggest risk is a war between Israel and Iran will break as a result of a miscalculation with each side thinking the other plans to attack and try to preempt it https://t.co/y7NdE224nG
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) December 22, 2025
U.S. intelligence has not detected signs of an imminent Iranian attack, but Israeli officials said the IDF is operating with heightened caution following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to discuss Iran’s missile buildup and potential future escalation when he meets with President Trump in Florida on Dec. 29.
On Monday, Iran once more said that its missile program is purely defensive and not open for negotiation, dismissing Israeli and U.S. concerns following the 12-day war in June. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the missiles are not meant to provoke conflict.
“Iran’s missile program was developed to defend Iran’s territory, not for negotiation,” Baqaei said at a weekly press conference. “Therefore, Iran’s defense capabilities, designed to deter aggressors from any thought of attacking Iran, are not a matter that could be talked about.”
