Israel risks ceasing 'to exist as a state,' senior Russian general says

A senior Russian military official said Israel risks ceasing "to exist as a state," claiming Tel Aviv's main objective is to escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and draw the US and NATO into the war.

In remarks released on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Military-Political Directorate and commander of the Akhmat special forces, told state news agency TASS that the regional conflict is likely to intensify further.

"We must realize that the war in the Middle East will only escalate. I believe that is precisely Israel’s objective to ramp up the conflict as much as possible and drag both the US and the entire NATO bloc into it," Alaudinov said.

Ultimately, he warned, Israel "will overestimate their strength and cease to exist as a state."

Tensions in the Middle East have heightened after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. In response, Tehran retaliated with strikes on regional countries hosting US assets.

Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war and paving the way for a broader agreement, but the arrangement later broke down amid mutual accusations of violations and renewed hostilities.

Diplomatic efforts have since failed to produce a breakthrough on reopening the Strait of Hormuz or resuming negotiations on a broader agreement.