Israel tracks cracks in Iran’s military security, says ambassador

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Leiter, stated that Israel is tracking cracks in Iran’s military security and did not rule out the possibility of deploying troops amid the ongoing joint military campaign with the US targeting Tehran.

“We’re ruling out the possibility of this regime remaining in the position where they can endanger us and their neighbors,” Leiter said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” 

“If that includes putting boots on the ground — our preference is for the boots on the ground to be those of the Iranians. … They need to put their boots on the ground and ensure their future and the future of the region.”

He agreed with the Trump administration’s view that the conflict is expected to last only weeks, noting that Israel had begun seeing “cracks in the edifice of this military security terror regime,” including “very grave difficulties in conveying orders down through the system.”

Leiter added that Israel and the US would “reach a complete understanding” regarding the war’s end timeline.

“This is a very important operation that doesn’t depend really on a timeline,” he said. “When you’re doing something that’s so critical, you’re not going to look at a stopwatch. This has to be finished. This is a terror-sponsoring state that has to be brought down, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

He dismissed reports suggesting the US intends to arm Kurdish groups, stating that Israel does not anticipate their involvement despite maintaining friendly relations.

The ambassador emphasised that the mission aims to topple the regime supporting terrorism and to establish a transitional government capable of overseeing a democratic process.

By Jeyhun Aghazada