Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday, Dec 17, his country is "determined to prevent Iran from becoming a military nuclear power," The Jerusalem Post reported.

Speaking at the World Jewish Congress (WJC) gala in New York, Barak stated: "Once they enter the ‘zone of immunity,’ fate will be out of our hands. The State of Israel was founded precisely so that our fate would remain in our own hands.”

Barak also commented on the recent granting of Palestinian membership to the United Nations as a non-member state, calling the move "provocative" and not a direct substitute for negotiations.