Iran greatest threat to world: Netanyahu

Munich [Germany], Feb 18 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday branded Iran as the "greatest threat to world" at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We will never allow the rewriting of the historical truth. This is in my judgement the greatest threat in the world. Because once armed with nuclear weapons, Iran's aggression will be unchecked and will threaten the entire world," the Jerusalem Post reported.

Addressing the Munich event for the first time, Netanyahu also underscored that Israel would act against Iran, not just its allies in the Middle East, if needed.

"We will act if necessary not just against Iran's proxies but against Iran itself," he said.

Netanyahu, a staunch critic of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, used the occasion to draw a parallel between the 1938 Munich Agreement, seen as a failed attempt to appease Nazi Germany and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

He said the deal had only "unleashed a dangerous Iranian tiger in the region and beyond . Iran is devouring huge swathes of the Middle East."

Furthermore, Netanyahu brandished a rectangular piece of dark green metal which he called "a piece of that Iranian drone, or what's left of it, after we shot it down."

Holding the wreckage, Netanyahu asked Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was sitting in the crowd: "Do you recognize it? You should, it's yours."

"Israel will not allow the regime to put a noose of terror around our neck, he said.

An Iranian drone that crossed into Israeli airspace was intercepted by the Israel Air Force on February 10, sparking a flare-up between Israel and Syria, with an Israeli F-16 shot down and an extensive Israeli strike against Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria, according to the reports. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI