Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused Iran of deploying missiles in Yemen and elsewhere with the intention of attacking Israel.
Before meeting U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Netanyahu said, “Iran is seeking to develop precision-guided munitions that can hit any target in the Middle east, with a circumference of 5-10 meters”.
He added, "They want to place them in Iraq and in Syria, and to convert Lebanon's arsenal of 130,000... rockets to precision-guided munitions." He further insisted, "they seek also to develop that, and have already begun to put that in Yemen, with the goal of reaching Israel from there too."
PM Netanyahu before meeting w/ @USTreasury Sec Mnuchin:#Iran is seeking to develop precision-guided munitions that can hit any target in M.East with a circumference of 5-10 meters.We view Iran as the greatest threat to peace, stability & our security. pic.twitter.com/VRDSKAtBGI
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 28, 2019
Mnuchin, on a tour of the Middle East and India, said "we have a shared view as to the threat that Iran poses to the region and to the world" and spoke of the US "maximum pressure campaign" involving sanctions.
Israelis have been concerned over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria, which has been criticized as an abandonment of Kurds who have been fighting against the Islamic State group.
There are worries that Israel too could be abandoned by its most important ally, as well as longstanding concerns that Iran could move to fill any vacuum in Syria.
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, was among the US officials accompanying Mnuchin on his trip.
Kushner and US special representative for Iran Brian Hook also met Netanyahu on Monday.