Israel’s position is to “finish off Iran”: Yakov Kedmi

Yakov Kedmi, former head of the Israeli intelligence service Nativ, shared his commentary with Alpha News on the situation in the Middle East and on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow.

“Iran’s demands are just as unrealistic as Zelensky’s. They are impossible to meet, including control over the Strait of Hormuz. Everyone is now waiting for April 6: Trump has threatened that if Iran does not agree, he will send it back to the Stone Age. But his words do not always match his actions, he often changes course at the last moment. That said, the facts point elsewhere: the deployment of special operations forces and the preparation of 10,000 ground troops. The concentration of forces is sufficient for a ground operation, and the likelihood of one is high. However, everything will become clear on April 6,” Kedmi said.

Speaking about Israel’s position on the Middle East conflict, the expert said that Tel Aviv’s stance is to finish Iran off.

“Our position aligns with that of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states: the demand is one – finish off Iran. Tehran must be stripped of the ability to develop nuclear weapons and produce ballistic missiles that threaten Israel. Israel’s vulnerability is high. It is a small territory, and even the best air defense systems cannot protect against a mass salvo,” Kedmi noted.

Commenting on the Armenian prime minister’s visit to Moscow, the expert said the situation could be summed up by the proverb: “No matter how much you feed a wolf, it still looks toward the forest.”

“Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow was part of his election campaign. He tried to play on pro-Russian sentiment, but once again repeated the false accusation regarding the CSTO, which Putin politely refuted. Armenia itself never recognized Karabakh as its own territory, so CSTO obligations did not apply. After the meeting, Pashinyan stated that Armenia would most likely not return to the CSTO. In the end, the visit amounted to smiles and formalities, with no real decisions made. Those who brought him to power are seeking to turn Armenia into an anti-Russian country, like Ukraine or Moldova. For me, such visits mean nothing, they are nothing more than an election campaign,” Kedmi said.

Speaking about the prospects for improvement in Armenian–Russian relations, the expert said that it takes two to tango.

“Russia cannot improve relations with Armenia if Armenia is pursuing the opposite policy. It takes two to tango, and Armenia is merely going through the motions. Russia will not use force, though it remains Armenia’s main trading partner, but that will not last long. Pashinyan cares only about power, for the sake of which he is willing to sacrifice his country and his people. Under the current government, economic relations will no longer be as successful, and Armenia’s political stance will have an impact on its economy. Against the backdrop of the Middle East conflict, Armenia finds itself in a zone of serious risks,” Kedmi concluded.