Israel will continue to do what is within its capabilities to "degrade" Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, the country's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said on Tuesday.
At a briefing held here amid escalating tensions between the two countries, he also said it would be better if a diplomatic solution could be achieved to halt the hostilities.
The envoy said Israel took military action to "severely degrade" Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities, claiming it posed a "threat" to his country.
"We'll continue to do what is in our capabilities to degrade Iran's nuclear programme," he told reporters when asked about the future course of the confrontation.
Asked about the expectations from the US, Azar said Washington and Israel are "completely in sync". He said he felt that the US would "support" Israel's action.
Israel is grateful to the US for its military and political assistance, Azar asserted.
Sources said Israel took this action as Iran has "renewed the weaponisation activity" within the nuclear programme.
According to international reports, Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The US and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organised effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.
The briefing by the Israeli envoy came on a day when the G7 Summit is underway in Canada.
The gathering of leaders from the powerful Group of Seven (G7) is taking place on June 16-17 in the shadow of the Israel-Iran hostilities that have escalated since Friday when Israel launched its military operation.
Under Operation Rising Lion, Israel conducted multiple strikes on the territory of Iran, with Tehran also returning fire after warning Israel on Friday.
So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and a few hundreds injured, Azar said, when asked about the casualties on his country's side in this military flare-up.
However, the Israeli Air Force now practically has achieved air superiority over a large portion of the Iranian skies, he claimed.
President Donald Trump abruptly left the G7 on Monday, departing a day early as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified. Even the US leader has declared that Tehran should be evacuated "immediately".
In his social media post, the US President emphasised that "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON."
Asked what role Israel foresaw from the US and if it anticipated anything from the US given the fact that he has returned to Washington, Azar said, "We will have to see."
"Whatever US does will be as per its national interests," he said.
The G7 Leaders' statement on recent developments between Israel and Iran said it affirmed that "Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel".
"We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," it added and urged that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a "broader de-escalation" of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.
The ambassador was also also asked if Israel saw any role from the Indian side to de-escalate the situation, but it did not elicit a direct response.
Asked about India maintaining its position on the Israel-Iran situation, even after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) statement that was critical of Israel's military strikes, he said, "We appreciate it."
India had on Friday said it was "deeply concerned" at the recent developments between Iran and Israel and was "closely monitoring" the evolving situation, even as New Delhi had urged both countries to avoid any escalatory steps.
On Saturday, after the SCO statement, India asserted that its position on the Israel-Iran situation remains as stated earlier and urged the international community to utilise channels of dialogue and diplomacy towards de-escalation.
On the conflict's future course, Azar said, "We have to continue to degrade their capabilities," adding, that the Israeli forces have hit about 120 missile launchers and a large number of other military assets.
On a video showing a strike on state-run TV in Iran, the envoy said, "We had asked the TV station to evacuate" and alleged that these stations had become "mouthpieces of the military machinery".
Asked about reports suggesting damage to Haifa port in Israel in the conflict, he rejected them and said it has not been damaged.
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