Israel Defence Minister meets IDF soldiers, criticises ex-PM Naftali Bennett

TEL AVIV: Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant met soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday at the Ramat David Airbase in northern Israel.

He lashed out at former Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who had in an Op-ed article claimed of Israel striking Iran when he was the country's Prime Minister.

Gallant said that the news article by Bennett was "needless chatter".

Interacting with Israeli soldiers, the Defence Minister added that the Israel Air Force's operations in the ongoing war in Gaza was highly impressive.

Speaking to Israeli forces, Gallant said, "The thunder of our fighter jets will deafen the needless chatter."

Bennett had in an Op-ed piece in Wall Street Journal said that Israel had made Tehran pay for its decision to sponsor terror.

The former Israeli Prime Minister in his article said that Iran had launched two failed UAV attacks on Israel in February 2022 and that Israel had destroyed a UAV base in Iran.

The article also added that a terror unit of Iran had attempted to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey but failed in March 2022.

Bennett said that a few days after this attempt by Iran, the commander of that unit was assassinated in the centre of Tehran, which had not gone down well with Gallant, who said that it was needless chatter.

Speaking to Israeli soldiers, Gallant said that the war would continue until targets were met and added that the war is at the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza Strip.