Former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz says Tel Aviv is not able to launch a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

"We are taking upon ourselves a task that is bigger than us. I think that… Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the entire Western world in the face of the Iranian threat," Halutz told Channel 2 news on Saturday.

"I’m not some passer-by… I’ve filled a few positions that give me a different level of information to the average person," he said without elaborating.

However, Tehran has made it clear that Israel will pay dearly for any adventurism targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In recent years, Iran has made great progress in missile technology.

Iran successfully tested the second generation of Sejjil missiles and brought it into mass production in December. The solid-fuel, two-stage Sejjil-2 missile has a longer range than the Shahab-3 missile, which Iranian officials have said can reach targets 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) away.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have accused Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program.

Yet, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

But Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal of at least 250 warheads and has never allowed IAEA inspections of all its nuclear facilities.

(Press TV)