Israel warns Iran its warplanes ‘can reach anywhere’ as Netanyahu joins Trump offensive

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran on Tuesday that Israel’s F-35 fighter jets can reach “anywhere in the Middle East,” amid Iranians threats to Israel.

“Lately, Iran has been threatening Israel with destruction. It should remember that these planes can reach every place in the Middle East, including Iran, and of course also Syria,” Netanyahu said, standing in front of an F-35 Adir jet during a visit to the Nevatim Air Force Base in the south.

The F-35 stealth jet is not believed to have an effective range to reach Iran unassisted, but it could conduct operations there with in-air refueling, a capability possessed by Israel’s air force.

On July 1, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Israel would be destroyed rapidly if the United States attacked the Islamic Republic.

“If the US attacks us, only half an hour will remain of Israel’s lifespan,” said Mojtaba Zolnour, chairman of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, in comments carried by the Mehr news agency.

Israel has long said that every option is on the table in ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, and has backed pledges to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria by carrying out air strikes there.

Tensions between the US and Iran began to escalate following Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran not long again announced that it will exceed the 3.67 percent limits previously agreed in the 2015 treaty.

As a result, the American President Donald Trump has initiated new economic sanctions on Iran as he is determined to cripple the economy.