Military Chief Of Staff Comments, Attack On Iranian Nuclear Facility Carried Out By Israel?

JAKARTA - Chief of Staff of the Israeli military has hinted at his country's possible involvement in the attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

Iranian authorities through Nuclear Program Chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran has the right to take retaliatory action against the perpetrators of acts of terrorism at their Natanz nuclear facility, Sunday, April 11, as reported by Reuters from Government TV.

"While condemning this despicable act, Iran stressed the need for the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with this nuclear terrorism. And the right to take action against the perpetrators", Salehi told Reuters Monday, April 12. He did not elaborate further.

The Natanz nuclear facility, located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan, is at the heart of Iran's uranium enrichment program and is monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

Just hours after Iranian officials reported the incident, Chief of Staff of the Israeli military Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said the country's operations across the Middle East were not hidden from the enemy's eyes.

"They are watching us, looking at capabilities and carefully considering their measures", he said, on the sidelines of a Sunday ceremony attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Intelligence Chief, marking the 73rd anniversary of Israel's founding next week, CNN reported.

Several Israeli media Outlets Sunday quoted intelligence officials as saying Israel's National Intelligence Agency, Mossad, was responsible for the incident. While some details of the unnamed officials were offered, some outlets described them as 'Western intelligence sources, though it was not immediately clear whether the West included the possible source from Israel or not.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not comment on the report, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iran on Sunday to toast to mark the anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel.

"The fight against Iran and Iran's proxies and weapons efforts is a great mission. The situation that exists today will not necessarily be the situation that will exist tomorrow", he said accompanied by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and a senior commander