Israel terms strike on Iran defensive, accuses Tehran of backing terror

 Israeli Ambassador to Kenya, Gideon Behar during an interview on KTN. [Screegrab]

Israel has defended its recent strike on Iran as a defensive measure, citing security concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme and alleged support for terror groups.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with KTN, Israel’s Ambassador to Kenya, Gideon Behar, said the attacks followed what he described as repeated but ignored calls for Iran to halt its nuclear development projects.

Behar labelled the late Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an illegitimate ruler, accusing his regime of sponsoring terror groups, including Al-Shabaab.

“I want to remind us why this war has started. This is a war of the free world against a totalitarian, terroristic regime which has no legitimacy by its own people,” Behar said.

The envoy further claimed that many Iranians oppose the current leadership, which he accused of oppressing citizens for decades. He described the Israeli and United States military action as a pre-emptive strike aimed at curbing what he termed a growing nuclear threat.

"Iranian's are happy with the strikes, the regime has invested much money in ballistics and nuclear at the expense of the welfare of its own people. They don't have water or electricity," Behar stated.

According to Behar, Iran was developing nuclear weapons intended to threaten Israel, the wider Middle East, and the global community.

He acknowledged that the security situation in the Middle East remains complex but expressed optimism that calm would eventually be restored.

Israel also accuses Tehran of backing militant organisations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which it says have fuelled instability in the region.

Behar alleged that the Iranian regime was responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 Iranian nationals and posed a significant security threat.

He further claimed that while substantial resources had been channelled into ballistic and nuclear programmes, ordinary citizens continue to grapple with shortages of water and electricity.

The remarks come amid reports from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency indicating that more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began.