EXCLUSIVE: The world is watching for Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attacks on Oct. 1, and the nation’s U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, promised it would be "very painful" in order to deter Iran from attacking again in the future.
Danon emphasized Israel's authority over the decision on how they strike back at Iran – they won’t be paying much heed to President Biden’s insistence on "proportionality."
"We will decide about the timing, the location," he said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
"The regime is vulnerable, and it's up to us to decide which message we want to send to them," Danon went on. "It will be very painful for the Iranian regime, and they will think twice in the future whether to attack Israel or not."
Iran rained down some 200 missiles on Tel Aviv on Oct. 1. A looming counterattack has awaited Iran in the two weeks since – and Biden has urged Israel to avoid striking nuclear or oil facilities and limit the counter-strike to military sites.
Danon said the world needs to do more to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
"God forbid, if they will have a nuclear bomb," said Danon. "We all can imagine what they will do with that. So, I don't think we should wait for that day. I expect the U.S., Europe and other strong democracies to take action against Iran today."
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Iran has been fighting Israel through its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Its missile attack earlier this month represented the first direct attack from Iran on Israel since April.
Over the past week, Iran’s foreign minister has traversed the Middle East to shore up backing from other nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and Jordan. Soon, he’ll travel to Egypt and Turkey.
In the U.S., Biden has come under pressure from progressives to use leverage and condition aid to Israel to avoid further civilian casualties.
Once a vocal antagonist of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the right, Danon insists the Netanyahu government of today is united – even as condemnation for Israel’s actions pours in from other parts of the globe.
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"We have no place to go. That's why we stand united, committed to fight back and to protect our people and our nation."
Some have called for a day-after plan once Israel determines its enemies defeated in Gaza and Lebanon. "We can speak about reconstruction only after we defeat Hamas," Danon said.
"All of those who care about the future of the Palestinians in Gaza should support Israel," he went on. "If we allow Hamas to stay there, there will be no future for Gaza."
In Gaza, eradicating Hamas, which have controlled the strip since 2006, leaves open the question of who will maintain the authority.
And as Israel furthers its incursion into Lebanon to push back Hezbollah, Danon called on the local population to starve Hezbollah of its power and reclaim their sovereignty from Tehran’s influence.
"I approached the Lebanese people, I even spoke to them in Arabic, I urged them to take responsibility over the future, not to allow Iran to use Lebanon as a launch pad against Israel," he said, referring to a United Nations Security Council session earlier this month.
"Lebanon is for the Lebanese people, not for the interest of Iran."
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Different from its goal of eradication of Hamas in Gaza, Danon said Israel is looking to push Hezbollah back in Lebanon and away from its own northern border.
"We want to go back to the situation where Hezbollah is not on the border with Israel according to U.N. Resolution 1701. Hopefully, this time, it will be better implemented," said Danon. "We are pushing them back, and I hope it will be completed soon."
Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, established a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah, where the terror group is not sitting along Israel’s border.
United Nations peacekeeping forces, UNIFIL, were tasked with enforcing that resolution, but Hezbollah quickly moved back into the area.
For the past two weeks, Israel has been telling U.N. peacekeepers to move 5 km (3 miles) back from the so-called Blue Line – a U.N.-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights – for their own safety.
They’ve so far refused to do so, but Danon said he is still in conversations imploring the UNIFIL troops to relocate for their safety.
"We think it's a mistake [to stay put], but we will continue to do our best to make sure that the U.N. forces are not targeted by accident. But you know, when you are in the crossfire between Hezbollah and the IDF, it's not safe."
Danon has often found himself on the front line of tense relations between Israel and the United Nations as the organization has continuously demanded the IDF cease hostilities.
"We have seen that the U.N. forgot about the moral issues that they have to advocate for," said Danon.
Asked if he still believed in the U.N. as a force for peace and security, he said: "Well, the idea was good… Unfortunately, today, it's being used by hostile forces to attack the victims and not to condemn those who attack other countries and civilians."
