Acknowledging Israel’s right to self defence, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday said the two nations see “exactly the same” threat from Iran, but hinted at differences related to the possible timing of a pre-emptive military strike.
“Israel will make the decision that Israel must make to protect itself, to defend itself,” Hagel told reporters just before leaving for his first visit to Israel as Pentagon chief.
Hagel, who came under fire from critics for not being enough supportive of Israel judged from his past statements, chose the Jewish nation as his first stop to reiterate Washington’s firm support for Jerusalem.
Hagel arrived in Tel Aviv to begin a week-long tour of the Middle East. Hagel said there is “no daylight at all” between Israel and the US on the key goal of preventing Iran from going nuclear. “When you back down into the specifics of the timing of when and if Iran decides to pursue a nuclear weapon, there may well be some differences,” he candidly acknowledged.
Describing Iran’s nuclear programme as an existential threat to the Jewish State, Jerusalem has showed greater urgency calling for concrete measures to stop the Islamic Republic from reaching a technical knowhow of no return.