Israel’s nuclear weapons threat raises many questions: Russia

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Photo: Collected An Israeli minister recently threatened to use nuclear weapons on Gaza. However, the minister was later dismissed by the country’s government in the face of criticism. However, Russia has taken this threat of using nuclear weapons into consideration. The Russian Foreign Ministry says the threat to use nuclear weapons proves that Israel has a stockpile of these weapons and that the country intends to use them.

According to an Al Jazeera report on Tuesday, Russian officials, like other countries, expressed concern over the Israeli minister’s threat to use nuclear weapons. They say such threats have raised many questions.

Israeli Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu said in a radio interview last Saturday that the use of nuclear weapons against Gaza could be an option. Moscow responded three days after the incident. In this case, Moscow’s statement is that Israel has never acknowledged the existence of nuclear weapons before. But the words of the Israeli minister proved that Israel has nuclear weapons and they intend to use them.

One of the spokespersons of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the first thing is that Israel has admitted that they have nuclear weapons.

Maria also said, “If it (nuclear weapons) is still there, then where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Nuclear Weapons Inspectors now?”

The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads. However, the statement of the Israeli minister Amihai Eliyahu on the use of nuclear weapons is “completely unacceptable” by the US authorities. US State Department Assistant Spokesperson Vedanta Patel said, “We believe it is important for all parties to refrain from hate speech.”

Several countries in the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, reacted to Israeli Minister Eliyahu’s statement on nuclear weapons. In this regard, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdullahian tweeted on Monday, “The United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency must take immediate action to disarm this barbaric and racist regime.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Minister Eliyahu last Sunday.