Life of Head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad will be threatened if Iran is allowed to wage a war against Israel from Syria, a minister close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday.
Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz told Ynet news "if Assad allows anyone, Iran or anyone else, to declare war on Israel from Syrian territory, he will suffer the consequences.”
“He is jeopardizing his regime and his actual existence. Why it's unthinkable that Assad will keep sitting quietly in his palace while a war is being declared on Israel?,” he warned.
"I believe that what is taking place in Syria could be critical for our future and security. Naturally, I hope things won't develop into a comprehensive war.”
However, “our determination to prevent an Iranian military base on our northern border is clear. I hope it's clear to the Iranians too, and I hope it's clear to Assad, who may be taking risks he will live to regret,” Steintiz further noted.
On the other hand, Israel's military says it struck an artillery piece in Syria after a mortar fired from the territory exploded near its security fence.
It said it targeted the area where the shell originated Monday, responding to what it believed to be errant fire.
The military said it "holds the Syrian regime accountable" and "will not tolerate any attempt to breach Israeli sovereignty or endanger the safety of Israeli civilians."
The shelling was believed to have been “spillover” from the Syrian civil war taking place on the other side of the border.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it "sees the Syrian regime as responsible for every action that takes place in its territory and will not tolerate violations of the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its citizens.”
The army also estimated that the Syrian regime is trying to cut logistical supplies from the opposition, which controls 80 percent of the borders with Israel while the regime forces control only the Quneitra and al-Hadar border towns.
