A longtime Israeli lawmaker and former defense minister, Avigdor Liberman, took to the airwaves and social media on Wednesday to suggest his country should do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

“It is not possible anymore to stop the Iranian nuclear program with conventional means,” said Liberman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party during a Channel 12 interview. “And we will have to use all the means that are available to us.”

Liberman continued, “We will have to stop with the deliberate policy of ambiguity, and it needs to be clear what is at stake here,” seemingly referring to Israel’s long-standing policy of not confirming or denying its nuclear arsenal. “What is at stake here is the future of this nation, the future of the state of Israel, and we will not take any risks.”

When pressed on what he meant by stopping Iran with non-conventional means, Liberman said, “I said it very clearly. Right now there is no time to stop the Iranian nuclear program, their weaponization, by using conventional means.”

Liberman's comments also appeared on social media, sparking alarm and condemnation. The hardline stance comes amid heightened tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran. Last week, Iran warned that any Israeli invasion of Lebanon—where Iranian ally Hezbollah is resisting Israel’s actions in Gaza—would trigger an “obliterating war.”

Observers suggest that Liberman’s rhetoric aims to incite further conflict, diverting attention from Israel's policies and actions in the region. Critics argue that such statements only escalate tensions and increase the risk of war, questioning whether Israel's true intention is to prevent a nuclear Iran or to provoke a broader regional conflict.

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