A top Israeli general and member of Knesset says that recent clashes with Iranian and other forces in Syria indicate that war in Israel's north is only a matter of time.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva radio, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eyal Ben-Reuven, who is also a member of Knesset with the Zionist Union (Labor) party and sits on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said:
"The people who were supposed to be the 'brakes' in this situation were the Russians, whose planes are currently massacring Syrian civilians in Damascus. The Russians aren't doing their job, and the Americans, unfortunately, aren't in the area and hardly say anything. So if the situation continues the way it is, we're on our way to another wide-scale war in Israel's north. I pray that I'm wrong.
"The explosive situation is just getting worse, because Israel, according to foreign sources, is not sitting and waiting, and things are happening.
"It's important that the Israeli public understand the situation. The public needs to follow the IDF's lead, and the IDF is doing its job and preparing for all possibilities."
Just as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reminds the world that his Islamic regime seeks the destruction of Israel, newly reported satellite images show Tehran has established a base in Syria to house missiles capable of hitting Israel.
That encroachment crosses a “red line” for the Israeli government, reported the Daily Telegraph of London.
Meanwhile, in a series of Twitter messages Thursday, Khamenei reiterated his warning that Israel won’t be around much longer.
“Some years ago, the Zionist regime claimed it would do this or that to Iran within 25 years of time,” the ayatollah wrote. “I said at that time, ‘They won’t be around in 25 years!'”
Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, commented Thursday that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said something like that about Iran “all hell would break loose, but no one will take any particular notice of this.”
In another tweet Thursday, Khamenei expressesd to Muslims the hope that they will one day gather to pray in “Quds,” the Islamic name for Jerusalem.
The message is clear to Muslims that he is referring to a Jerusalem “liberated” from Israel and the Jews, as other leaders have explicitly stated.
Khamenei wrote: “We hope we all see the day you perform collective (jama’at) prayers in Quds. That day will not be far; it will come soon. #Palestine.”
Iran’s clear intentions for Israel, combined with the charters of the Palestinian ruling parties Fatah and Hamas calling for the elimination of the Jewish state, pose a challenge to any effort to negotiate peace in the Holy Land.
Some years ago, the Zionist regime claimed it would do this or that to Iran within 25 years of time. I said at that time, “They won’t be around in 25 years!”
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 1, 2018
One of those red lines is aimed at prevent Iran from using its alliance with the Bashar al-Assad regime to establish any permanent military bases in Syria.
“Iran continues to try to cross those red lines,” said Netanyahu at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18.
Lebanon Ready for War With Israel in Response to ‘Military Aggression or Any Attempt’ to Invade by Land or Sea
The commander of the Lebanese military said Thursday that his troops are prepared to defend the country against any potential Israeli attack or incursion.
Lebanese Commander General Joseph Aoun made the remarks during an inspection of Lebanon’s Third Intervention Regiment in the Ras Beirut neighborhood of the capital city, Beirut. As disputes with southern neighbor Israel over natural resources, a border wall and Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah threaten a new war between the longtime foes, Aoun stressed that Lebanon’s armed forces would not be caught off guard.
“The army maintains its readiness on the southern border to confront any Israeli military aggression or any attempt to encroach on parts of its land and maritime borders,’ Aoun said, according to the official website of Lebanon’s military.
“The army has the complete will to defend Lebanese rights through all of its available means and capabilities, no matter how much the enemy’s threats and provocations may escalate,” he added.
Israel has begun construction on a new, controversial wall along its border with Lebanon. Lebanon disputes Israeli claims to 13 points along the United Nations–designated boundary, as Israeli daily Haaretz reported. President Aoun described the wall on Tuesday as “an additional assault on Lebanese sovereignty that Lebanon rejects,” according to Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star.
Another row has developed over conflicting claims to oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon has recently signed agreements allowing international companies permission to drill in reserves, including the Block 9 field that Israel claimed as its own. Despite Israeli warnings, Lebanon has said it would go through with the project and Hezbollah said last month it was prepared to fight for the natural resources.
“We reiterate our firm and unequivocal position in decisively confronting any aggression against our oil and gas rights, defending Lebanon’s assets and protecting its wealth,” Hezbollah said in a statement sent to Newsweek at the time.
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