As far as the public agenda was concerned, the Iranian threat seemed to have been sidelined once the current government was formed. Only recently has it returned to the headlines, and in a big way. The person responsible is Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who flew to Washington May 18 for talks about Iran with his US counterparts.

Just one day before he left for DC, Gantz delivered a speech at Reichman University, warning of Iran’s accelerated progress toward a nuclear bomb. He also insinuated that Israel is preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. He noted that the cost of stopping Iran from obtaining a bomb will be much higher next year. If there has ever been a window of opportunity, it is now.

At a briefing just a few hours later, military reporters were notified that the possibility of a campaign in the north developing into a direct conflict with Iran and its allies will be the focus of an extensive IDF exercise. According to these reports, Israel’s security forces have already prepared offensive and defensive plans for such an exigency. The IDF has begun its “war month,” in which all branches of the military participate in the exercise, dubbed “Chariots of Fire.” It simulates an attack on Iran and culminates preparations by the army over the past year.

This brings us back to Gantz’s recent speech. It is not the first time the defense minister has warned that Iran is accumulating enriched uranium. Just last month, he offered his assessment that since August, "Iran has gone from 10 kg of 60% enriched uranium to 50 kg."