Netanyahu insists Israel “does not seek war”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country doesn’t want to go to war, but will do everything it needs to, to protect itself.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, before a briefing was given by Chief of Staff Lt Gen Gadi Eizenkot, of whom Netanyahu said he had “full confidence” in, the Israeli PM told Russian President Vladimir Putin last week that Israel would take any action necessary against Iran and Lebanon.

He told reporters on Sunday: “The IDF is the strongest army in the Middle East, and thankfully so, because we are facing many challenges.

“As I made clear to [US] President [Donald] Trump and later to European leaders and to [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin — our presence here is the main factor hindering the expansion of radical Islam, led by Iran and Islamic State, in the Middle East, those factions also threat all other entities in the world.

“We do not seek war, but we will do everything that’s needed to defend ourselves.”