Speaking on PM Express on Monday, June 16, the ambassador said Israel’s recent missile attacks on Iran were necessary and long overdue.

“The answer is quite simple,” he said when asked why Israel had launched missiles into Iran.

“Whenever your enemy clearly declares his will and wish to get rid of you, to annihilate you, to destroy you, to erase you from the face of the earth—as the Iranian leaders have done since February 1979—that’s when we become worried.”

He warned that Iran’s threat to Israel is both ideological and technological.

“We have many enemies who would like to erase us from the face of the earth but do not have the ability. We have states that have the ability but do not want to. But when we have an enemy that has both—this is when we become worried,” he stressed.

The ambassador confirmed that the latest strikes on Iranian territory were carefully targeted at military and government sites. Several high-ranking Iranian officers were reportedly killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive “as long as necessary.”

Roey Gilad echoed that sentiment and noted growing internal support for the strikes.

“Israelis are very opinionated people. It’s very hard to find consensus. But now there is consensus that this was the right thing to do. The only discussion is whether we should have done it earlier.”

He said the immediate trigger was Iran’s rapid military buildup.

“They have enriched uranium up to 60%, which is enough for nine nuclear bombs. And they are developing, as you can see now, between 2,000 and 3,000 ballistic missiles.
They’ve already launched 200 against Israel. That caused significant damage. That has to be said.”

Asked if the strikes were strictly about the nuclear threat, the ambassador explained that it was a combination of threats.

“It’s two things. It’s the nuclear threat. And it’s the missile threat. The ability and the will together—that’s the danger.”

Ambassador Gilad was blunt about the stakes involved.

“We are not playing games. We are fighting for survival. If you know your enemy wants to destroy you and is getting closer to doing so, you do not wait for the final blow.”

ALSO READ:

• What we know as Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day

• Minority MPs urge safety measures for Ghanaians in Iran

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, the Ambassador said it is important for lives to be protected and that will mean defeating Hamas.

Madam Sufa’s comment comes in the wake of the deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel which has claimed many lives and left others displaced.

“Israel is at war with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel on October 7, attacked us viciously and indiscriminately killing people, innocent civilians who were just living their lives in the vicinity of Gaza. The terrorists killed those people in the most brutal and inhumane way you can imagine,” she lamented.

Admitting the best way out the conflict may be dialogue and resolution, the Ambassador was however skeptical it may work out.

“In such times, consultations and talks can help restore peace and we have started negotiations but Hamas is a threat and not an entity that you can reason with because they have the capacity to terrorise people,” she stated.

The Ambassador added that, stopping the war now will only give Hamas the opportunity to re-mobilise for more violence.

ALSO READ:

• Israel-Hamas war: Premature babies safely evacuated from Gaza

• Israel says it is carrying out an operation against Hamas in Al-Shifa Hospital