Israeli PM hails Trump's withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal

JERUSALEM, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Speaking briefly after Trump announced the administration will reinstate the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, Netanyahu hailed the move as a "courageous" and "right" decision.

Netanyahu accused Iran of preparing to attack Israel. "For the past months, Iran has been transferring weapons to its forces in Syria," he said in a televised statement.

"We will react with force" to any attack, he said. "The army is prepared, the army is strong, and whoever will try us will feel well the strength of our arm," he warned.

The prime minister called on the international community to join the United States and revoke the landmark deal. He also called other countries to act against "the Iranian aggression."

According to Netanyahu, the deal would have enabled Iran to enrich uranium "in quantities sufficient to produce a whole arsenal of nuclear bombs."

Iran denounced Trump's move, saying his decision was unlawful and undermines international agreements.

The 2015 accord between Iran and the world powers aims at curbing Iran's nuclear plan.

Netanyahu is a vocal opponent of the deal and has urged Trump to withdraw from it.

It comes also amidst spiraling tensions in the region in the wake of several deadly airstrikes on military bases in Syria, allegedly carried out by Israel, in which Iranian citizens were killed. Enditem