“Iran crossed a red line. We responded accordingly,” Netanyahu stated in warning to Assad not to try attacking Israel.
In a warning directed especially at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Netanyahu stressed in a Hebrew-language video message Thursday that the IDF will respond powerfully to any attacks on Israeli territory.
Speaking at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Thursday evening, the Israeli leader commented for the first time on the failed Iranian missiles attack on Israel Wednesday night and the IDF’s powerful response.
“Iran crossed a red line. We responded accordingly. The IDF carried out a very wide-ranging attack against Iranian targets in Syria,” Netanyahu stated.
“Thanks to a correct deployment of our forces both offensively and defensively, the Iranian action failed. No rocket landed in Israeli territory and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria,” he said.
“Yesterday I delivered a clear message to the Assad regime: Our action is directed against Iranian targets in Syria; however, if the Syrian military acts against us, we will act against it. This is exactly what happened yesterday – Syrian military batteries fired surface-to-air missiles against us and, therefore, we attacked them,” the prime minister continued.
“The international community needs to prevent the Iranian Al-Quds force from establishing itself in Syria. We need to unite in order to cut off its spreading tentacles of evil there and everywhere.
“I repeat: Whoever hurts us – we will hurt them sevenfold, and whoever is preparing to hurt us – we will act to hit them first. This is what we have done and this is what we will continue to do,” Netanyahu vowed.
