‘SHOULD CONFLICT ERUPT, HEZBOLLAH WILL SUFFER A CRUSHING DEFEAT AND LEBANON WILL BE IN RUINS’

Israel's enemies would be wise not to test its resolve, prime minister warns

By Daniel Siryoti, Shlomo Cesana, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff

Israel Hayom
February 7, 2018

Syrian state media on Wednesday accused Israel of targeting a military facility near Damascus, saying Syrian air defenses had responded to "a new Israeli aggression."

The information was not corroborated by any Israeli source. An Israeli military spokesperson said the IDF does not comment on foreign media reports.

According to the reports, the airstrike targeted the Jamraya Research and Information Center, northwest of Damascus. The area is home to many Syrian military facilities, including what is believed to be a chemical weapons production and storage site

Syria has accused Israel of targeting the facility twice before, in 2013 and 2017.

Reports of the strike came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who along with members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet visited the northern border Tuesday, warned Israel's enemies against testing its resolve.

The visit was held against the backdrop of Iran's efforts to change the status quo in war-torn Syria and in Lebanon. Netanyahu and the ministers received a security briefing from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick.

The briefing focused on three issues: the efforts to prevent Iran's military entrenchment in Syria; efforts to foil Tehran's attempts to establishment precision-missile production facilities in Lebanon; and the military's contingencies against any threat on the northern borders, which places an emphasis on fighting on multiple fronts and massive missile attacks on the Israeli homefront.

Netanyahu, who has been cautioning against any attempt by Iran to tighten its grip on Syria or Lebanon, stressed, "We seek peace but we are prepared for any scenario and I wouldn't suggest to anyone that they test us."

He noted that Iran's efforts to change the regional status quo could lead to a change in Israeli policies. "There's a chance Syria and Lebanon could stabilize, but there's an equal chance that the opposite will happen. Maintaining Israel's security mandates we remain vigilant."

Speaking with reporters after the tour, Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said, "I'm convinced, now more than ever, that [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah would make a grave mistake if he persists in his aggressive policies toward Israel, as the proxy of the ayatollahs' regime in Iran.

"The IDF is well-prepared for any mission and should conflict erupt, Hezbollah will suffer a crushing defeat and Lebanon will be in ruins."

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday that all Iranian militia, including Hezbollah, must leave Syria, whose civil war has thrown the Middle East into turmoil.

Asked in an interview on BFM TV whether he wanted Turkish armed forces to withdraw from Syria, Le Drian replied that he wanted: "The withdrawal of all of those who ought not to be in Syria, including Iranian militia, including Hezbollah."

EDITOR’S NOTE: And if Lebanon is left in ruins, Israel will receive a blistering condemnation by the UN and the Europeans with calls for the Israelis to be charged with war crimes and genocide.