Israel: Netanyahu visits Paris, looking for allies against Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a previous visit by the latter to Paris in 2018. AP - Philippe Wojazer
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The Israeli Prime Minister is in Paris this Thursday, January 2.
This is Benjamin Netanyahu's first visit to France since his return to power a month ago.
The Iranian question should largely dominate discussions with President Macron.
The Jewish state is looking for allies to support its ambitions against Tehran.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
Israel fears that its worst enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran, is acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Jewish state wishes to form a military coalition, in particular with the Western powers, in order to strike at the regime of the mullahs.
On paper, everything is ready.
Israel has studied in great detail its strategy to attack Iran.
Some 3,000 targets have been identified, and the Jewish state wants to take action quickly.
“
But there is no question of going into battle alone
”, confides a diplomatic source.
The idea for Israel, explains this same source, is to find allies: a military coalition that would bring together France, the United States and, ideally, a few Arab countries.
Some Gulf monarchies, for which the Islamic Republic also poses a threat.
►
To read also The head of French diplomacy goes to Riyadh in search of support
Unity is strength ;
this alliance would have a dissuasive role.
Israel attacks Iran, but Tehran does not retaliate, because that would be declaring war on several countries at the same time.
Until then, Paris and Washington had categorically rejected this option, preferring the diplomatic solution with Iran, reveals a source familiar with the matter.
But the situation has changed.
First, the Iranian nuclear deal seems to be in jeopardy.
Then, Israel made an effort to position itself in the Western camp, in the Russian-Ukrainian file.
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:
Iran: an Israeli operation behind the drone attack in Isfahan?
The Jewish state says it plans to support kyiv militarily against Moscow.
Benyamin Netanyahu thus sends a message to Westerners: “
I support you in your war against Russia;
support me in my battle against Iran
,” in essence.
This is what he is looking for in Paris.
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:
Israel says it is considering “military aid to Ukraine”
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Israel
Binyamin Netanyahu
Iran
France
Emmanuel Macron
Diplomacy