In a recent interview, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, pushed back against questions about the evidence behind Iran’s nuclear threat.
Speaking with the British broadcaster BBC, Leiter responded to the interviewer’s suggestion that no proof had been publicly presented. “Who should we present the evidence to—the BBC?” he asked. He added that Iran has already launched missiles toward numerous countries, arguing that if those missiles carried nuclear warheads, they would likely be used as well.
Leiter said that the threat posed by Iranian ballistic missiles is evident and does not require further proof. According to him, Israel is convinced that Iran would move to use nuclear weapons as soon as it acquires them.
During the interview, the discussion also turned to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah. When asked whether Israel considers the impact of its military actions on Lebanese civilians, Leiter responded by highlighting the situation faced by Israeli residents near the northern border.
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He asked whether similar concern is shown for the tens of thousands of Israelis who have had to evacuate their homes due to Hezbollah rocket attacks on their communities.
Leiter acknowledged that the conflict carries humanitarian consequences but argued that those consequences stem from allowing Hezbollah to establish a large missile arsenal aimed at neighboring countries. He said that those concerned about the humanitarian situation should address their criticism to Hezbollah and the government of Lebanon, rather than Israel, which he described as responding to ongoing aggression.