The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, has called on the government to join the international community to support the campaign for a strategic change in Iran's administration.

“We also call on the Government of Ghana to join its voice. Ghana has a very important voice, especially since last year in Africa. In the international community, Ghana is an important member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that is dealing with Iran day in and day out. Ghana is an important player at the ECOWAS and AU,” he said.

Addressing a press conference at the Embassy in Accra last Wednesday, the Ambassador said a change in the administration in Iran would bring an end to instability, a goal shared by all well-wishers of the world, including Ghana.

End of operation

Mr Gilad expressed uncertainty about when the recent operation, which commenced last Saturday, February 28, in Iran, would end, stating that it could be a matter of weeks.

The Ambassador said he hoped the second round of joint US-Israel attack would be the last for peace to reign in the Middle East.

The escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, with the two nations engaged in a conflict has already claimed hundreds of lives.

Justification

Mr Gilad justified the joint Israel-US strikes on Iran, indicating that Iran had the intention of developing nuclear arsenals to strike the US and Israel.

He affirmed that the strike and the elimination of the Supreme Leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, were intended to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and create the conditions for the Iranian people to control their destiny.

He also accused Iran of using its axis in the region such as the “Hamas” in the Gaza strips, “Hezbollah” in Lebanon, “Assad Regime” in Syria and “Houthis” in Yemen, to attack Israel over the years.

The operations, code-named “Rising Lion” and “Roaring”, according to him, struck the heart of the Iranian regime and jeopardised Iran’s grip on the region. 

Casualties

While the war in the Middle East has seen six Americans killed in action, he said Israel also paid the price for the war with some missiles hitting Israel and killing a number of civilians.

“As of March 4, 180 missiles hit Israel, and over 120 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), like a big drone, hit 10 impact sites in Israel.

We suffered casualties, as 11 Israelis were killed and 120 were injured. We paid a price,” he said.

He lauded his country’s stamina and resilience, adding that the civilian population of Israel understood that an end must be put to the challenge and threat they faced from Iran once and for all.

Meanwhile, Iran paid the heaviest price with the elimination of its Supreme Leader and top security chief, including the Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Pakpour, and the Supreme Leader’s Advisor for Security Affairs and Secretary of the Defence Council, Ali Shamkhani.

Others who were also killed in this campaign were the Chief of Military Bureau of the Supreme Leader, Mohammad Shirazi; the Head of Intelligence of Khatem Alanbieh Command, Saleh Asadi; the Chairman of the SPND, Hossein Jabal Amelion, and the Former Chairman of the SPND, Reza Mozaffari-Nia.