Ahmadinejad: "Israel is on a path leading to its collapse"

TEHRAN - Israel has "embarked on the path leading to its fall, reiterated on Sunday Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a speech on the occasion of Army Day.

Ahmadinejad, speaking to high military leaders of the country gathered to attend a parade at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in south Tehran, also urged Western countries to "put aside their militarism and stop support this murderous regime." "The Zionist regime is on a path leading to its downfall. The nations of the region after some 60 years (of existence of Israel), want to uproot this corrupt microbe, which is the main cause of insecurity in the region" said the Iranian president. The Jewish state celebrates the 62nd anniversary Tuesday of its creation, 14 May 1948 according to the Hebrew calendar. He again called for "the departure of the great powers" of the Middle East in order to "enable the countries of the region and the Palestinians to resolve the problem" with the Israelis. Iranian officials regularly claim that Israel is doomed to destruction, and Ahmadinejad has provoked outrage in the West in 2006 claiming that the Holocaust of Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II was a "myth" . "The presence of foreign forces is the cause of conflict in our region. They must leave the region," Ahmadinejad said. Tehran denounced the presence of U.S. forces in western Iraq and Afghanistan as the main factor of instability in the region. He also warned against any military aggression against Iran, "Iranian army is powerful and plays an important role in ensuring the safety and balance in the region. It has a deterrent power against enemies" of the Islamic Republic, he said. Israel has repeatedly suggested the possibility of military action against nuclear facilities in Iran that the West suspects of trying to build atomic weapons. Ahmadinejad did not refer directly to the U.S. during his speech, delivered between two large banners proclaiming "The United States can do nothing" and "We can and will be there till the end. Ennaharonline/ M. O.

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