Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat has warned Iran of overwhelming retaliation if provoked again and firmly ruled out Pakistani participation in any Gaza transition force. In an interview with NDTV’s Vishnu Som at Davos, Barkat said, “We targeted them once, we hit them hard, and if they try to pick a fight with us, we’ll hit them harder seven times.”
On peacekeeping forces in Gaza, he added, “Any country that supported terror is not welcome…and that includes Pakistan.”
Barkat accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East through its decades-long support of armed proxies. “Iran…has been the head of the evil axis,” he said. “They put a target to destroy the state of Israel…created thousands of ballistic missiles…strengthened Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and they proposed an imminent threat to Israel.”
He credited Israel’s military response with exposing Iranian vulnerability. “We dramatically crippled them…hit them very hard…and demonstrated that they’re not as big and strong as they thought,” Barkat said, adding, “I believe it influenced the whole region, and now they got to get their act together.”
About the Author
