Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned once again of Iran’s terror-sponsoring, as well as its aspiration to acquire nuclear weapons. In a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Israeli Prime Minister stressed that the danger posed by the Islamic Republic is the pre-eminent issue facing the international community in the coming years. Netanyahu told Le Drian in a joint press conference, “We have to stand together against this terrorism that afflicts our world. We have to fight terrorists wherever they are. And we have to fight terror-sponsoring regimes wherever they are. The foremost terrorist-sponsoring regime in the world, in our region and beyond is Iran. We have to roll back its aggression, and it is vast, and we must ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons. I think this is the preeminent issue facing the international community in the coming months, in the coming years,” the Israeli leaders stressed.
Prior to his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Le Drian met with President Reuven Rivlin, during which he emphasized to the Israeli head of state – – while the Middle East does not lack security challenges, both Jerusalem and Paris are motivated by a desire to find a path to peace and security. Minister Le Drian said, “You mentioned Iran’s attempted hegemony, there’s also the instability in Syria and how this tragedy is going to end, there are questions about stability in Lebanon, in short we’re not lacking in topics of discussion but we’re both motivated by a desire to find a path to peace and security,” he said.
The visit to Israel by the French top diplomat comes amid an investigation into a suspected murder of a Jewish Holocaust survivor who was found stabbed and burnt in her Paris apartment. The investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office is trying to establish whether it was a murder motivated by anti-Semitism – a fact Foreign Minister Le Drian said was plausible. French police said two suspects were detained as part of its investigation. That said, no changes have yet been submitted.