- 4 hours ago
Reuven Azar, Israel’s Ambassador to India, said in an exclusive conversation with India Today TV that Israel’s military campaign against Iran will continue until there is a change in the country, either in policy or in regime. Defending Israel’s strikes, Azar said the operations have significantly weakened Iran’s ability to threaten Israel and the wider region, claiming its capabilities have been degraded by nearly 80 percent.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to this India Today special.
00:03As the West Asia war enters week three and shows no signs of letting up,
00:09if anything, the war seems to be escalating even further.
00:13I was joined earlier by a very special guest.
00:16My special guest is the Israeli ambassador to India,
00:21Mr. Reuven Azhar is with us here on India Today.
00:26I appreciate your joining us, Mr. Azhar.
00:29Now, just in the last 24 hours,
00:31Israel claims it has killed the top Iranian security official,
00:35Ali Larijani, in overnight strikes.
00:37Israel claims that Gholam Reza Soleimani,
00:41the deputy commander of the Basij,
00:42the Iranian paramilitary force, has also been killed in airstrikes.
00:46Is Israel only upping the ante against Iran now?
00:51Well, it seems, Rajdeep, that as time passes,
00:55our penetration into Tehran, into Iran, gets only deeper.
01:00And that this regime is really shaken,
01:03that we have managed, thanks to the efforts of our security forces,
01:09to undermine and to damage the power of this regime in a very serious way.
01:14And we intend to continue.
01:15But the fact is, and I read a Washington Post article today,
01:18which said that American intelligence says Iran's regime is consolidating
01:24despite the withering strikes of Israel and America.
01:28Officials see a weakened but more hardline government in Tehran,
01:32backed by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
01:35So while you're killing or you're taking out these leaders,
01:38the fact is, or assassinating them,
01:41the fact is the regime is still very much in place.
01:44Well, first of all, we'll see what they write tomorrow.
01:47But it seems to us that it's pretty natural
01:50that at the first stage,
01:53these people will double down
01:55because this is the only thing they know.
01:57They've been fanatic.
01:59They've been oppressing their own people.
02:00They've been, you know, creating this machinery of death
02:04throughout the last 30 years.
02:06And they've been getting more and more fanatic
02:08regardless of what we did in the past.
02:11So at the end of the day,
02:12if you want to win this war,
02:14you have to increase the efforts
02:17to undermine their capability
02:19to continue to build what they want to build,
02:22a machinery that will control our region
02:25and the capability to annihilate the state of Israel.
02:29We are not going to allow it.
02:29But Ambassador, you use the word win the war.
02:33What does win the war mean?
02:35Let's be very clear.
02:36What does win the war mean for Israel?
02:38Well, we said it very clearly at the outset, Rajiv.
02:41We want to make sure that Iran is not capable
02:45of creating a military nuclear arsenal.
02:49We are very, very stubborn
02:53that Iran won't have the capability
02:55to have tens of thousands of ballistic missiles
02:57because that's also an existential threat on Israel.
03:00And we want them to stop supporting the proxies.
03:02Now, there are two options here.
03:04One option that was there for 30 years
03:07is that through diplomatic efforts,
03:11they will change course.
03:12They will decide that they no longer want
03:14to exterminate the state of Israel.
03:16The other option that, unfortunately,
03:18we got to now, we are not enjoying it,
03:22is that we debilitate them substantially.
03:26But we also added a third element.
03:28We said, you know what?
03:29We cannot ourselves change the regime in Iran.
03:32But we are going to make sure
03:33that the Iranian people have a chance
03:35to embrace their future if they choose to do so.
03:38But it's also possible that the Iranian people
03:40will only further consolidate behind the regime.
03:43You are striking a sovereign nation.
03:46Why should the Iranian people
03:48listen to what Israel decides for them?
03:50Who is Israel, they could argue,
03:52to arrogate the right to decide
03:53what regime will sit in Tehran?
03:55That's for the people of Iran to decide,
03:57not for the government in Jerusalem.
03:59Exactly. I agree with you.
04:00And that's why we are not saying
04:02that we are going to change the regime ourselves.
04:04This is going to be the decision
04:06of the people that are being oppressed,
04:08the millions of people
04:09that are being oppressed by this regime,
04:11tens of thousands of people
04:12that have been killed by this regime
04:14only a few weeks ago.
04:15There are millions and millions of people,
04:17believe me, Rajdeep,
04:18that want to see this regime out.
04:20There are nations in this region
04:22that are waiting for the day
04:24in which this regime will fall
04:26because they understand,
04:27and we understand,
04:28we are also a sovereign nation.
04:31We've been attacked by this regime
04:33for the last 37 years,
04:35time and again.
04:36Our embassies were bombarded.
04:37Today, 17th of March,
04:39is the commemoration day
04:41of the explosion of our embassy
04:43in Buenos Aires.
04:43So these people are doing
04:46these terrible deeds for decades now.
04:48No, no, but again,
04:49I come back to it, Ambassador,
04:50the end game.
04:51What is the end game?
04:52Is it regime change?
04:54I mean, whether the Iranian people do it
04:55or whether Israel and America
04:57are trying to affect it,
04:58is that the end goal?
05:00Because with Donald Trump,
05:01we don't see clarity on that.
05:04Does he want regime change?
05:05Does he want a denuclearized Iran?
05:09His goalposts keep changing.
05:11Is this now a war being fought
05:12by Israel under Netanyahu's leadership
05:15and you're virtually forcing
05:16the Americans to tag along?
05:18Because America isn't ready
05:19for the long war
05:20that you seemingly are.
05:21Well, first of all,
05:23we are completely in sync
05:24with the Americans.
05:24You're completely in sync
05:25with the Americans.
05:26You don't accept that
05:27this is Netanyahu's war,
05:29which Trump is being pushed along with.
05:31Let's be serious, Rajdeep.
05:32No country in the world,
05:34especially not the United States,
05:36which is the most powerful country
05:37in the world,
05:38is acting on the behalf
05:39of other countries.
05:40Okay?
05:40People who believe that,
05:41I think they live
05:42in an alternative world.
05:43The United States is doing this
05:44because it's in the interest
05:46of the United States
05:46according to the people
05:48that are administering
05:50that administration
05:50at this point.
05:53Now, the end game
05:54could be either
05:55the substantial debilitation
05:57of this regime
05:57or can be a change
06:00within the policy
06:01of the regime
06:02or a regime change.
06:03We don't know yet,
06:04but what we want to achieve
06:06and we had actually no choice
06:09but to do it now
06:10is to remove
06:11the existential threats
06:12because they were immediate.
06:14They were going
06:16to go immune underground
06:18to a situation
06:19to a situation
06:20which we cannot hit.
06:21How is it an imminent threat?
06:23You said at the very outset
06:25that you were hopeful
06:26that diplomacy would work.
06:28The fact is
06:29there were negotiations
06:30going on in Geneva.
06:32Even as those negotiations
06:33are going,
06:34you go and target Iran.
06:35What is one to understand,
06:37Mr. Ambassador?
06:37Because the negotiations
06:38weren't serious, Rajdeep.
06:40Because the...
06:40They were not serious
06:41on your part
06:42or their part?
06:42First of all,
06:43we were not part of it.
06:44Yeah, I mean,
06:44you believe the Iranians
06:45were not serious
06:46about the negotiations.
06:46The Iranians were refusing
06:47to negotiate
06:48the ballistic missile program.
06:49They were refusing
06:50to negotiate
06:52their support
06:52for the proxies.
06:53And they were refusing
06:54to the American demands
06:56to export the enriched uranium
06:58and to get zero enrichment
07:00because they don't deserve
07:01to enrich
07:02because they cheated
07:03the international system.
07:04So they were playing for time
07:05like they were doing
07:07throughout the last 30 years.
07:09But what was this imminent threat
07:10that meant
07:11that you had to now go in now?
07:13What was this imminent threat?
07:14Yes, I want to be
07:14very clear about this.
07:15When we attacked
07:17back in June,
07:18it was because we knew
07:20out from our intelligence
07:21that they decided
07:23to sneak out
07:24to a nuclear weapon.
07:26Now, what we saw
07:28is that they are actually
07:29making in the midst
07:30of an effort
07:31to bury very deep underground
07:33both their capability
07:35to produce nuclear weapons
07:36and the ballistic missile production.
07:38And we knew
07:39that if we don't act now
07:41in coordination
07:42with the United States,
07:43they will get this immunity
07:45and we will continue
07:48to have to live
07:48with this existential threat
07:49that was imminent for us.
07:51How will you respond
07:52to those, Ambassador,
07:53who say this is not a just war,
07:55this is an illegal aggression,
07:57it is not sanctioned
07:59in the case of the United States
08:00by the Congress,
08:01that Israel unilaterally decided
08:03that there is an imminent threat
08:04and has targeted
08:05a sovereign nation of Iran.
08:07Iran didn't attack you,
08:09you attacked Iran.
08:10Well, Iran has been
08:11attacking us, Rajdeep,
08:12for the last 37 years
08:13illegally.
08:15They have sworn
08:15to annihilate us.
08:17They decided
08:18every bullet
08:18and every terror attack
08:19and every missile
08:20and every rocket
08:21and every drone
08:22that has been flying
08:23over Israel
08:23from Gaza
08:24or from Lebanon
08:25or from Iraq
08:26or from Yemen
08:27or from Iran
08:28has been either
08:31financed by Iran,
08:32produced by Iran.
08:33The people who produced it,
08:34they were trained in Iran.
08:36So, nobody can tell us
08:38that we don't have
08:39the right to defend ourselves
08:40against those
08:42that for no reason whatsoever
08:44have decided
08:45that they want to destroy us
08:46from day one.
08:47Tell me, Mr. Ambassador,
08:49has Israel been taken
08:51by surprise
08:52by the manner
08:53in which Iran
08:54has used missiles
08:55and drones
08:56to spread the theater of war?
08:59UAE, Bahrain,
09:02Kuwait, Qatar,
09:04parts of Saudi Arabia,
09:05all under the lens
09:07of Iranian missiles
09:09and drones.
09:09Have you all been
09:10taken by surprise
09:11at the manner
09:11in which Iran
09:12is raising the costs of war?
09:14Well, to a certain extent,
09:15yes.
09:16I think that they did
09:17a huge miscalculation
09:18because they thought
09:19that by expanding,
09:20by attacking
09:20all the so-called friends
09:22that they have,
09:23okay,
09:24they have actually
09:25created a situation
09:26in which instead
09:28of getting,
09:29garnering support
09:30for their cause,
09:31they have been
09:32garnering condemnation
09:33from the entire
09:34international community,
09:35you saw that
09:36the UN Security Council
09:37just at the beginning
09:38of this week
09:38passed a resolution
09:39with overwhelming majority
09:41and with the backing
09:44of 130 countries
09:45condemning them.
09:46And this resolution
09:47was co-sponsored
09:48by India,
09:49by the way.
09:49But we are also,
09:50I'll come to India
09:51in a moment,
09:51but we are also seeing,
09:52Mr. Ambassador,
09:53the fact is,
09:54NATO allies
09:55of the United States
09:56are not willing
09:57to enter the theater of war.
09:58The United Kingdom,
09:59for example,
09:59has made it clear.
10:00Other countries
10:01are also saying,
10:02we are not going
10:02to send our warships
10:03into the Strait of Hormuz.
10:04All these countries
10:05that have been attacked
10:06by Israel
10:07through drones
10:08and missiles,
10:08the Arab countries
10:09are not necessarily
10:10siding with Israel.
10:12The point of the matter is...
10:13Are you sure?
10:14No, they haven't officially.
10:15None of them
10:16have officially said
10:17that we are on the side
10:18of Israel.
10:18Show me one of the Arab countries
10:20that have said,
10:21we are with Israel
10:22in this war.
10:22They may be condemning
10:24Iran for their recklessness,
10:26that doesn't necessarily
10:26mean they are siding
10:27with Israel.
10:28Is this actually about
10:29Israel trying to establish
10:31its dominance
10:32over West Asia
10:33and many of the other countries
10:34are not willing
10:35to join your war
10:36with Iran?
10:37They are worried
10:37that this will only result
10:38in oil prices going up.
10:40They are just worried
10:41about the costs of war.
10:42No one wants
10:44feet on the ground
10:45in Iran,
10:45for example.
10:46First of all,
10:47we never asked any country
10:48to fight for us.
10:49We are fighting
10:50for ourselves
10:51and this...
10:52You asked the United States.
10:54No, we didn't.
10:55This is a joint operation
10:57that comes out
10:58from common interests
10:59and what Israel has done
11:01is not only approved
11:03by the Israeli cabinet,
11:05it has been approved
11:06also by the Israeli opposition
11:07that have seen
11:08the intelligence
11:09that I am telling you about.
11:11We have done this
11:12because we had no choice,
11:13because we cannot live
11:14with an existential threat
11:16that is imminent
11:17from a country
11:18that wants to destroy us.
11:19Now, the Arab countries,
11:21you know,
11:21you are an experienced journalist.
11:23You know how the politics
11:25of the Middle East
11:26work,
11:27how the Islamic
11:28and the Arab world work
11:29and you have to read
11:30between the lines.
11:31Rajdeep,
11:32the Arab countries
11:33on the Gulf
11:34completely support
11:37the extermination
11:38of this threat.
11:39Completely.
11:40Do they support Israel?
11:42It's one thing to say
11:43they don't support Iran.
11:44Do they support Israel?
11:45They support themselves.
11:47They support themselves.
11:49Look,
11:50we have to be,
11:51you know,
11:52there's a real
11:52politic here
11:53angle that you have
11:54to look at, okay?
11:56These countries
11:56have been living
11:57under the shadow
11:59of an Iranian threat
12:01for many years.
12:04Their infrastructure
12:05was attacked only now.
12:07May I remind you
12:08that the Iranians
12:08attacked Aramco
12:09five years ago.
12:11Okay,
12:11so they know very well
12:13and they invested
12:14billions of dollars
12:15in buying defense systems,
12:17including from Israel,
12:18to defend themselves
12:20from this threat.
12:21does that give you
12:22a license,
12:24Mr. Ambassador,
12:25to attack Lebanon
12:26in which civilians
12:28have died?
12:28Does that give you
12:29a license
12:30to assassinate
12:31an Ali Khamenei,
12:32the supreme leader
12:33of Iran?
12:34Do you believe
12:35that all that has happened
12:36as you say over the years,
12:37the so-called existential threat
12:38as you call it,
12:39does that allow you
12:40to enter Lebanon
12:41where hundreds of people
12:42have died,
12:42scores of people have died?
12:43We were attacked
12:44by Hezbollah.
12:46Are you able to make
12:47the distinction
12:48between Hezbollah
12:49and civilians?
12:49To give Iran's example,
12:50Mr. Ambassador,
12:52165 school children
12:53in a school in Iran died.
12:55Who's responsible?
12:56Who's accountable?
12:57When civilians die
12:58in Lebanon,
12:59who's responsible?
13:00Can you make a distinction
13:01in a war like this
13:02between the militias,
13:04the so-called proxies
13:05of Iran
13:06and the people of Lebanon
13:07or indeed
13:08the people of Iran?
13:09Well,
13:10first of all,
13:10Israel targets
13:12military targets.
13:13And when you look
13:14at the way...
13:15165 schoolgirls
13:16are not a military target, sir.
13:17It's a very,
13:18very tragic incident
13:19we are not responsible for.
13:21And this incident,
13:23which is very tragic,
13:25does not represent
13:26the fact
13:26that we have hit
13:28more than 7,000
13:29military targets.
13:30Okay?
13:31It is not our policy
13:32to target civilians.
13:35These incidents
13:37in wars
13:38may happen.
13:39It's terrible.
13:40We have to do
13:41whatever we can
13:42to avoid them.
13:43We try to avoid
13:44this war
13:45because we know
13:46what is the cost
13:47of war for us,
13:48for the Israeli people,
13:50for the Israeli civilians
13:51that have been attacked
13:52time and again
13:53by the Iranians.
13:54Hezbollah,
13:55twice,
13:56on the 8th of October
13:58and also now,
13:59have unilaterally
14:01decided to attack us.
14:02We retaliated.
14:04We are defending ourselves.
14:05Hezbollah has chosen
14:07to embed itself
14:08within civilian population.
14:10And it's very hard
14:11to make this distinction,
14:12but we are doing
14:13the best that we can.
14:14I just want to understand,
14:17are you saying,
14:18therefore,
14:19that you have every right
14:20to assassinate
14:21an Ali Khamenei?
14:22Of course.
14:23That you believe...
14:24He gave direct orders,
14:26direct orders
14:26to create these threats
14:27against us.
14:28He was talking
14:29with foreign leaders
14:30about the need
14:30to annihilate us.
14:31He was in charge
14:33of the IRGC.
14:35He was in charge
14:36of Qasem Soleimani.
14:37He was the driver
14:39of all this killing
14:40that was happening
14:42not only in Israel,
14:43in Arab capitals,
14:45in Arab countries.
14:46Several countries
14:47have condoled his death,
14:48from Russia to China
14:49to large parts of the world
14:51have condoled
14:51the death of Ali Khamenei.
14:52How many Muslim countries
14:53have given condolences
14:55following the death
14:56of Khamenei?
14:57Do you know?
14:57Out of 57 Muslim countries,
14:59how many?
15:0111.
15:02I'll tell you something.
15:05Let's come to India.
15:07Do you believe
15:08that India
15:09is standing by Israel
15:11and America here?
15:12Because over the last few days,
15:14the Indian foreign minister
15:15has been in regular touch
15:16with his Iranian counterpart.
15:19One of our concerns,
15:20of course,
15:20is getting our ships
15:21through the Straits of Hormuz.
15:23We have interests in Iran.
15:25There are students,
15:25Indian students,
15:26stuck there.
15:27Are you getting a sense
15:27now that India
15:28is very cautious
15:29of playing a more
15:30balanced role?
15:31Are you perfectly
15:32okay with that?
15:33Rajdeep,
15:33I'll tell you something
15:34you already know.
15:35India stands for India.
15:37And India will do
15:38whatever is good for India.
15:39We appreciate
15:40that India
15:41is an independent country
15:42that has
15:43their own policy.
15:45We happen to have
15:46a lot of common interests
15:47with India,
15:48which we will continue
15:48to pursue.
15:49And India will continue
15:50to pursue their interests.
15:51I don't see a problem here.
15:53What will you tell
15:54those who say
15:55that the prime minister
15:56of India,
15:56Narendra Modi ji,
15:57should not have gone
15:58to Israel
15:59on the eve of the war,
16:00that war clouds
16:01were gathering.
16:01It was the wrong sign
16:02sending out the wrong message
16:04that India abandoned
16:05its neutrality
16:06and chose to side
16:08in those early days
16:09with Israel and America
16:11and therefore
16:12abandoned the principle
16:13of neutrality,
16:14which is the basis
16:15of our foreign policy.
16:16In our national interests,
16:17we should have been
16:18more careful.
16:18Well,
16:19that's an internal debate.
16:20I'm not part
16:20of that internal debate.
16:21What I know is that
16:22we didn't know
16:23that we would attack Iran
16:25only two days
16:26after Prime Minister
16:28Narendra Modi left
16:29because the opportunity...
16:33You are telling me
16:33that Israel had no plans
16:35to attack Iran
16:36while the prime minister
16:37was in Israel?
16:38We didn't have
16:39the operational opportunity.
16:42Clear.
16:43Only two days
16:44after he left,
16:45we got the operational opportunity
16:47and our cabinet decided
16:48to do the attack
16:50at the timing
16:50that we did.
16:51Okay?
16:52We didn't know
16:53while Prime Minister Modi
16:54was visiting Israel
16:55this is going to happen
16:56that soon.
16:57How do you see
16:58the reach out, though,
16:59to Iran?
17:00India's reach out to Iran,
17:01the constant conversations
17:02that we are now having
17:03with the Iranian foreign minister,
17:05the concern that India
17:07has expressed
17:07that they would like
17:08an immediate de-escalation
17:10of the war.
17:11I can understand
17:12anybody that is interested
17:14in de-escalation.
17:15We are interested
17:16in de-escalation.
17:17You're not de-escalating.
17:18You've just gone
17:18and targeted
17:20two more senior
17:21Iranian officials.
17:23That's my problem.
17:24How do you talk
17:25of de-escalation?
17:26You're escalating
17:27the war by the day.
17:28Because we won't
17:29de-escalate
17:30until there is
17:31a change in Iran.
17:32So you're coming
17:33back to regime change.
17:34You see,
17:34you're saying...
17:35A change in policy.
17:36It can be a change in policy.
17:37What does change in policy mean?
17:38You want a moderate regime
17:39which will follow
17:40what Israel does?
17:41There is a very clear
17:42diplomatic path
17:43that has been put forward
17:45before this entire thing happened,
17:47before June.
17:49The United States
17:50has told the Iranians,
17:51you have to take
17:52the nuclear material
17:53out of Iran.
17:54You have to stop enrichment.
17:55You have to curb
17:56your ballistic missile program.
17:58You have to stop
17:58the support
18:00for the proxies.
18:00They haven't changed
18:01that a bit.
18:03When that changes,
18:04there will be escalation.
18:05De-escalation.
18:05So what happens
18:06if Donald Trump
18:07tomorrow tells
18:08the Israeli prime minister,
18:10look,
18:10we've achieved
18:11what we think,
18:12the United States thinks,
18:13are our primary goals here.
18:15We've decimated
18:16a large part
18:17of the Iranian leadership.
18:18We are pulling back.
18:19Will Israel continue the war?
18:21Will Israel continue the war
18:23independent of what
18:24the United States decides?
18:24Well, first of all,
18:26we are in sync
18:27with the United States,
18:28as I told you.
18:28Okay?
18:29There are two options here.
18:30One option
18:31is that we exhaust
18:32all the military means
18:33that we have planned
18:35together with the United States
18:36and we stop.
18:37That is one option.
18:38The other option
18:39is that there is
18:40some kind of a change
18:41in the Iranian approach.
18:43We hope for the second.
18:45May I ask you...
18:46And I'll tell you why.
18:47Because at the end of the day,
18:49we also realize
18:49that if we don't want
18:51to pound this regime
18:52time and again,
18:53it's better to have
18:54a policy change.
18:56A policy change
18:58or surrender?
18:58Are you calling for surrender?
18:59Are you saying
19:00that Iran has to
19:01throw a white flag?
19:02Is that what you're suggesting?
19:04Look, this term,
19:05this term,
19:05what do you mean
19:06to throw a black...
19:07No, you're saying
19:08policy change.
19:09A policy change
19:10is very clear.
19:11There are conditions,
19:11diplomatic conditions.
19:13It's not a surrender.
19:14It's a matter of perspective.
19:15At the end of the day,
19:17this threat
19:17that they have been creating
19:19has been a threat
19:20against the United States,
19:21against Israel,
19:22against the region.
19:23The entire region
19:25and countries
19:26outside the region
19:27have been trying
19:27to convince this regime
19:28to change policy
19:30for so long.
19:32They have failed.
19:33That's why
19:33we have reached
19:34this point
19:35because we cannot
19:37wait anymore
19:38while they are
19:39burying
19:40there's capabilities
19:42and while
19:43we are facing
19:44a situation
19:45in which
19:46we will be able
19:47to annihilate
19:48us by will.
19:49We cannot agree
19:50to that.
19:51That has to change.
19:52So either
19:53they get debilitated
19:54and then we will go
19:55to the next round,
19:56I don't know when,
19:57maybe five years from now,
19:58three years from now,
19:59or that there is
20:01either a change
20:02of policy
20:02or a change
20:03in the regime
20:04or a change
20:05of regime
20:06that actually
20:08make us
20:10no need
20:10to attack
20:11that kind
20:12of intention
20:14again.
20:14I take your point
20:15but over the last
20:16couple of weeks
20:16what's happened?
20:17Ali Khamenei
20:18has been replaced
20:18by his son,
20:19Mujtaba.
20:19So there's no sign
20:20of change
20:21in the leadership
20:22that you're talking about.
20:23There's no sign
20:24that they've changed
20:24their policy.
20:25They're still using
20:26their ballistic missiles
20:27and drones
20:27to target
20:28different parts
20:29of West Asia.
20:30They've made it
20:31very clear
20:31that they're going
20:32to keep the Straits
20:32of horrible clothes.
20:33That's a worried
20:35large parts of the West.
20:36There's a worry
20:36over oil prices
20:37going out of control.
20:39You know,
20:40this,
20:40as one headline
20:41put it,
20:42according,
20:42from an American
20:43perspective,
20:44is a war
20:45without a strategy.
20:46Do you agree
20:46with that or not?
20:47No,
20:47I don't think so.
20:48It's a war
20:48with a strategy?
20:49Yes.
20:50I think that
20:50it is very clear
20:51that we have
20:51very clear goals.
20:52One Khamenei
20:53replaced by another.
20:54What changes?
20:55What's changed
20:56in the last couple
20:56of weeks,
20:57Mr. Ambassador?
20:57I'll tell you.
20:58First of all,
20:59that the capabilities
21:01that Iran
21:02has
21:03to damage us
21:04and the rest
21:05of the region
21:05have been degraded
21:07by almost 80%.
21:09And that is
21:10very significant.
21:11You know,
21:12I thought it
21:12very interesting.
21:13Your prime minister
21:13today has wished
21:14the people of Iran
21:15on Nowros,
21:16which is the new
21:17Is the attempt
21:18being made
21:18to hope that
21:19there is a people's
21:20uprising?
21:20There's no sign
21:21of that.
21:21There's no sign
21:22at the moment
21:23of a people's
21:23uprising.
21:24I'll tell you
21:24what are the signs.
21:25First of all,
21:26the prime minister
21:26of Israel
21:27has been talking
21:27with Iranian people
21:28for the last 10 years
21:29and he has been
21:30producing videos
21:31to the Iranian people
21:33in Farsi
21:34for the last 10 years.
21:35It's not something new.
21:36Okay?
21:37Second,
21:37we are seeing cracks.
21:39Yes,
21:40we are seeing cracks
21:41because we see
21:42millions of people
21:44that are against
21:46this regime
21:46because we are seeing
21:47that besiege people
21:49and army people
21:50are escaping
21:50their stance.
21:52Okay?
21:53And surrendering.
21:53we are seeing
21:55that although
21:56this regime
21:57is doubling down,
21:57their capability
21:58to cause damage
21:59to their neighbors
22:00as to us
22:01and to us
22:02is diminishing
22:02dramatically
22:03and therefore
22:04I'm confident
22:05that we're going
22:06to achieve
22:07the goals
22:07of this world
22:08at the minimum
22:09and substantially
22:11degrading
22:11their capability
22:12to annihilate us.
22:13And if we get
22:15a political result
22:16or a diplomatic result,
22:18I think it's a bonus
22:18that everybody's
22:19interested in getting.
22:21Is the Prime Minister well?
22:22There were reports
22:23on social media
22:24floating about
22:24about the health
22:25of Benjamin Netanyahu.
22:26if you have to judge
22:27by what he did today,
22:30I think he's not only alive,
22:31he's also kicking.
22:32What will you tell
22:33those who say
22:34Netanyahu
22:35is the ultimate warmonger?
22:36He's the one
22:37who's out to
22:38in a way
22:39establish his legacy
22:41but destroy
22:43Iran as a result.
22:45I'll tell you a secret.
22:46The key
22:48for the success
22:50of the Abraham Accords
22:52and the seeds
22:53for the Abraham Accords
22:54were planted
22:58when the JCPOA happened
23:01because both Israel
23:02and Saudi Arabia
23:03and countries
23:04in the Gulf
23:04got to the conclusion
23:07that the diplomatic solution
23:09that was put then
23:10forward
23:11is actually not going
23:13to prevent Iran
23:14from building nuclear weapons
23:16but it's going to pave
23:17the way for Iran
23:18for creating nuclear weapons
23:20and that's the reason
23:22that we have been
23:24so stubborn
23:25in dealing with this threat
23:27because like our countries
23:29in the region
23:30we are completely convinced
23:32that unless we take action
23:34to neutralize these threats
23:35we will not exist
23:38and that's why
23:39it's not just
23:40Prime Minister Netanyahu
23:41it's the entire
23:42political system
23:43in Israel
23:43that supported this effort
23:45even if it results
23:45in hundreds of casualties
23:46including civilians
23:47it has resulted
23:48in hundreds
23:49and thousands
23:50of Israeli casualties
23:52and it would result
23:53in millions
23:54of Israeli casualties
23:55if we didn't take action
23:56my final question
23:59Mr. Azar
23:59a month from now
24:00if I invite you again
24:02to the studio
24:03do you believe
24:04the war will still be on
24:05or do you hope
24:06that the war will be over
24:07sooner rather than later
24:08what's your sense?
24:09I hope it will be over
24:10I always will have the pleasure
24:13to come and visit you
24:14whether the war continues
24:15or not
24:15What's your sense though?
24:16I don't know
24:17I'm not a prophet
24:18I'm not a son of a prophet
24:19because no
24:19because Israel has said
24:20we are ready for a long war
24:22that was the official statement
24:23two days ago
24:24we are ready for a long war
24:25what does a long war mean?
24:26It's a good question
24:27I think that we
24:28are going to exhaust
24:29at some point
24:32the scope
24:33of the activity
24:34we wanted to have in Iran
24:35I don't think that
24:37we're planning for
24:38a perpetual war
24:39and I think that
24:40it's up to
24:41the decision makers
24:42according to
24:43the operational considerations
24:44to decide
24:46when to stop
24:46Okay
24:47Mr. Ruben Azar
24:49Ambassador of Israel
24:50always good to have you here
24:51and take all our questions
24:53I really appreciate
24:54you joining us
24:55the Israeli Ambassador
24:56Ruben Azar
24:57joining us here
24:58on India Today
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