Far-right minister under fire for hinting at Israel’s 'attack' on Iran

JERUSALEM

Israeli politicians criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he hinted at Tel Aviv's responsibility for the attack that targeted Iran at dawn on Friday.

“Such statements may endanger the security of the state,” the public broadcaster quoting unnamed ministers as saying.

Israel is said to have launched early Friday strikes against Iran, but officials have yet to confirm. Iranian state media said there was no damage and country's air defense systems shot down incoming objects.

Tensions escalated after Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel after an attack against its diplomatic premises in Syria.

“Lame,” Ben Gvir, the leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party, wrote on his X account.

Criticizing the post, opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X: “Never before has a minister in the defense cabinet done such heavy damage to the country's security, its image and its international status."

“In an unforgivable tweet of one word, Ben Gvir managed to mock and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington,” he added.

Lapid stressed “any other prime minister would have thrown him out of the cabinet this morning.”

“Even the ministers who sit next to him and are silent as sheep are not free from responsibility. They are part of an unforgivable security and value failure,” he said.

Ben Gvir earlier demanded a “crazy” response to the Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel. “Israel’s response must not be weak, because the concepts of containment and proportionality disappeared from the world on Oct. 7,” he had said.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi