Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar addresses the Security Council during the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, Feb. 18. Reuters-Yonhap
JERUSALEM — Israel is not seeking an endless war with Iran and will coordinate with the United States on when to end the fighting, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, declining to publicly state a timeline for when the conflict could end.
Turmoil has spread throughout the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran 11 days ago, with Tehran carrying out attacks across the region in response, and fighting expanding to Lebanon where Israel is now battling Hezbollah.
Saar said Israel had achieved major successes in weakening Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and that when the time was right, Israel would consult with the U.S. on ending the war.
"We will continue until the minute that we, and our partners, think that is appropriate to stop," he told reporters, speaking alongside his German counterpart in Jerusalem.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it had carried out a new wave of strikes in Tehran targeting what it described as "terror regime targets", and reported Iranian missile launches toward Israel, a sign Tehran retained the ability to attack Israel.
President Donald Trump and his administration have offered mixed messages on when the war could end. Israel says it seeks to destroy Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and create conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.
On Monday, Trump said that it would not end this week but that it could end very soon.
Saar on Tuesday said Israel was not seeking an endless war and would consult with Washington on ending it when it was the "right time," he said.
"We want to remove, for the long-term, existential threats from Iran to Israel," Saar said in response to a Reuters question on how the government sees the war coming to an end.
Source: Korea Times News
