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Israeli Defense Minister: "Iran Is Building Up Military Power around Israel in Order to Use It"
(Wall Street Journal) Gordon Fairclough - Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, says the scale and severity of the Oct. 7 assault on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas profoundly altered the way Israelis view the world around them. The gravity of the threat, Gallant says, underlies the ferocity of Israel's response and its determination not only to destroy Iran-backed Hamas, but to act with enough force to deter other potential adversaries allied with Tehran, including Hizbullah in neighboring Lebanon. "My basic view: We are fighting an axis, not a single enemy," Gallant said. "Iran is building up military power around Israel in order to use it." He cautioned that the next chapter in the conflict "will last for a longer time" and stressed that Israel wouldn't abandon its goals of destroying Hamas as a fighting force, ending its control of Gaza, and freeing the remaining hostages. "Should Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran be allowed to decide how we live our lives here in Israel? This is something we don't accept."