Israel threatens Iran with "own Vietnam in Syria," refuses to rule out pre-emptive strike

"It is no secret that Iran is trying to establish a ring of fire around our country, it is already based in Lebanon and is trying to establish in Syria, Gaza and more," hawkish Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett claimed, speaking at a conference on Sunday. Noting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would “work tirelessly” to fend off the alleged “Iranian threat,” Bennett said that it’s high time Israel moves from defense to offense. Bennett unleashed his dire warning days after Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz indicated that Tel Aviv would not shy away from a pre-emptive military strike against Iran if it thinks Tehran is making strides in the development of nuclear weapons... “It’s an option. We will not allow Iran to produce or obtain nuclear weapons. If the only option left to us is the military option, we’ll act militarily,” Katz told Italian Corriere Della Sera daily on Friday. While Israel, estimated to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal of between 80 and 90 warheads, is fomenting fears over Iran possibly obtaining nukes, it remains conspicuously tight-lipped about its own endeavors in the field. Following a test of a mysterious “rocket propulsion system” by Israel on Friday, Tehran accused the Jewish state of testing a “nuke-missile, aimed at Iran.” It is believed that the Israeli military may have launched little-known Jericho ballistic missiles, said to be capable of carrying a sizeable warhead.