Israeli's minister of economy and industry has claimed that after Iran's proxy activities across the region, Tehran has become a 'legitimate target' for military action.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Nir Barkat said, "Iran is a legitimate target for Israel. They will not get away with it. The head of the snake is Tehran."

Since the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, Iran's proxies in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon have joined a regional coalition against both Israel and the US, including a blockade on global shipping in the Red Sea.

"We should very very clearly make sure the Iranians understand that they will not get away with using proxies against Israel," Barakat, who has no input to the war cabinet, told the newspaper.

Barkat, tipped as the favorite to succeed PM Benjamin Netanyahu to take over the ruling Likud party, said, "we should very very clearly make sure the Iranians understand that they will not get away with using proxies against Israel".

The terror attack by Hamas on October 7, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,200 mostly civilians, has triggered a wide scale regional conflict. Described as the most deadly single day for Jews since the Holocaust, Iran has distanced itself from the day known as the Black Sabbath, but has commended Hamas for the atrocities, lauding it a victory against Israel.