Russia says Israeli nuclear remark needs international investigation

Russia's foreign ministry suggested on Tuesday that international nuclear inspectors should be sent to Israel after a minister said using a nuclear bomb in Gaza was an option. 

Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the remark by Israeli Heritage Minister Amihay Ben-Eliyahu "raised a huge number of questions".

"Question number one - it turns out that we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?" Zakharova was quoted as saying by state RIA news agency.

If so, she added, then where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and international nuclear inspectors?

Israel does not publicly acknowledge it has nuclear weapons, though the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads, according to Reuters news agency.