Israeli parliament member Ohad Tal told Fox News Digital that striking a deal with Iran should not be the goal without first toppling its "evil, jihadist regime," as President Donald Trump on Sunday called on both sides to come to the negotiating table.
Tal, who sits on the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committees, spoke to Fox News Digital from outside of Jerusalem on Sunday as Israel and Iran traded strikes for a third day.
"We are now engaging in a war with Iran, a war which I believe is historic, because we are now, finally, hopefully, we will liberate, not just ourselves, not just the Iranian people, but the entire world from the threat of the evil Iranian regime," he said.
Earlier Sunday, Trump said on TRUTH Social that "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal," noting how his administration has successfully negotiated other conflict resolutions, including between India and Pakistan, "by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!"
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Tal, however, made the distinction that the goal of the Ayatollah and the Muslim Brotherhood is the "destruction of Israel" and the "destruction of America."
"I think that our goal should be taking down the Iranian regime, because if you really want to put an end to the ambitions of Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, the only way to do that is by taking down this regime," Tal said. "This regime has only one purpose, not to destroy Israel … they want to take down America."
He said more deals would only allow Iran to re-arm and re-develop their nuclear program.
"I think just the idea of negotiating deals with a jihadist terror supporter regime is outrageous," he continued. "I mean, the only goal we should have, we should all have, is taking down this evil regime. Again, if we really want to build a better future of stability and prosperity for everybody in the region, in the world, that should be the goal."
Trump has vetoed a plan floated by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a U.S. official told Fox News, amid concerns doing so would further destabilize the region.
Tal told Fox News Digital that the West must face the reality that "we must take down this evil, jihadistic regime" not just to save the region, but the "entire world from this threat."
Since last Thursday, when the Israel Defense Forces launched a large-scale preemptive strike against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities, key infrastructure and leadership, Tal said he’s received calls from Muslim and Arab leaders across the Middle East who told him, "You’re not just saving yourself, you’re saving us as well."
"That is the reality. Iran and the Ayatollahs are not just a threat to Israel, they are a threat to the entire world, and therefore I believe that by the fact that Israel is not looking the other way," Tal said. "We're not burying our head in the sand. We are standing in front of this threat, and we are fighting back. I think we are doing a big favor to the world."
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Tal said Iran has suffered "an unbelievable amount of damage" and the IDF "basically has total control over the Iranian airspace." Israeli forces, he argued, are targeting military bases, nuclear facilities and officials, while Iran is targeting civilian populations. Some Iranian missiles have made it past Israel’s aerial defense systems.
"That's a culture that glorifies death, doesn't care about civilian casualties, and we’re a culture that sanctifies life," he said.
Tal said he has received support from U.S. officials, including members of Congress.
He believes that Israel’s actions are in line with Trump’s "America First" policy, in that the ongoing operation will prevent the United States from being pulled into a broader conflict.
"We're getting the support from the Trump administration 100 percent," Tal said. "Trump is supporting America First Policy. We are also supporting America First Policy because fighting this evil regime will help to prevent much, much bigger war."
"If the Iranians would have managed to get their desire and acquire a weapon, that would not have just been a threat to America," he continued. "We're not asking [for] American boots on the ground, we’re not asking America to fight for us. We're just asking them to support us in taking away the threat coming from Iran."
Fox News' Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
