Israel will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear capability: Netanyahu
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Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while addressing a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on Monday said that Israel will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
"We both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war and we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons" said Netanyahu.
"My policy as Prime Minister of Israel is clear: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel" he added.
However, Iran has repeatedly denied its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and apparently takes a stand that its nuclear facilities are meant only for civil purposes.
Netanyahu also then went on to say that "Israel has no greater ally and certainly no greater 'mishpucha' (family in Hebrew) than the US".
Responding to the Prime Minister's speech on "regional security challenges, including Iran's destabilizing activities", Austin said that Washington's "commitment to the US-Israel strategic partnership is ironclad".
"The US supports normalization between Israel and the Arab and Muslim world," he added.
Lloyd Austin's two-day visit marks the first by a US official since President Joe Biden takes oath in January.