Israel’s Finance Minister and far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich has rejected the U.S. military’s claim that it destroyed Iran’s key nuclear facilities. He asserted that Israel contributed more than the United States in damaging Iran’s nuclear program.On June 13, the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes in Tehran and other locations, alleging that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb. Ten days later, on the night of June 23, the U.S. Air Force carried out attacks on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The U.S. Central Command named the operation “The Midnight Hammer.”One day after “Operation Midnight Hammer” was conducted, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. He claimed that the operation had struck at the core of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and that Iran would never be able to revive its nuclear program.In an interview with Israeli radio station Kan Radio on Wednesday, Smotrich was asked about Trump’s claims. He responded:> “I don’t think that’s accurate. At this moment, no one can definitively assess how much damage has been done to Iran’s nuclear program. It will take more time to calculate that.”He continued:> “Moreover, Israel has contributed the most to damaging Iran’s nuclear program. We have destroyed their scientists, their archives, and their capabilities.”In the same interview, Smotrich said that the ceasefire had created a new dynamic in the long-standing Iran-Israel hostility, and that Israel should now set new goals.> “We have paused the conflict and are trying to understand the overall situation. Now we must define new objectives—perhaps even the overthrow of Iran’s ruling government. For that, we will need the cooperation of the Iranian people,” Smotrich said.
