Bennett reveals he authorized Israeli attacks on Iran twice while prime minister

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett reveals he directed Israel’s security forces to strike Iran on two separate occasions in 2022.

The first time Israel struck Iran under Bennett’s watch was in February 2022, he writes in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal. In response to two failed UAV attacks launched at Israel by Tehran, Bennett says he authorized a strike against a UAV base on Iranian soil.

He says the second time he authorized security forces to move against Tehran was in March that same year. Following an Iranian attempt to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey, Israel assassinated Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, the commander who Bennett says had overseen the unit responsible for the attempted murder.

Bennett had hinted in the past that Israel was responsible for the killing of Khodaei but had stopped short of actually acknowledging it.

Israel has been linked to numerous attacks in Iran over the years, primarily against the country’s nuclear program, as well as assassinations of senior figures, but rarely publicly confirms Jerusalem’s role in the strikes.