Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Revealed Twice Allowing Attacks On Iran Last Year

Naftali Bennett. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer)

JAKARTA - Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said he directed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attack on Iran on two different occasions in 2022.

The targets in the two attacks carried out by the Israeli army consisted of a drone base and a troop unit commander, in response to Tehran's actions.

The first attack by the Israeli Defense Forces against Iran under Bennett's supervision, was carried out in February 2022, he wrote in an opinion published in the Wall Street Journal, as quoted by The Times of Israel December 29.

Bennett said he allowed attacks on UAV bases in Iran after two Tehran-launched drone attacks were thwarted by Israel. Meanwhile, the second attack, Bennett continued, was carried out in March in the same year, after he authorized the IDF to take action against Tehran.

The action is in response to Iran's attempt to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey. Israel later killed Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, commander who Bennett said oversees the unit responsible for the attempted murder.

Previously, Bennett had hinted in the past that Israel was responsible for Khodaei's murder, but did not admit it.

Israel has been linked with a number of attacks in Iran over the years, especially against the country's nuclear program, as well as the killings of senior Tehran figures. However, the government and senior Israeli figures rarely publicly confirmed their role in the attack.