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Israeli Ambassador to US: War With Iranian Proxies Could Be ‘Matter of Weeks’

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A military conflict between Israel and Iranian proxies in Syria could begin a matter of weeks, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said Monday.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Politico online journal, Dermer said international refusal to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was little more than a “farce” and warned against focusing on President Trump’s policy vagaries on that topic at the expense of letting the Iranian issue fly under the proverbial radar.

Asked to predict the chances of an open conflict breaking out with Hezbollah in the next year, Dermer declined to suggest a percentage. But he said the possibility was higher than most people realize.

“I think it is higher than people think because of Iran’s continued push through the region. If Iran is not rolled back in Syria, then the chances of military confrontation are growing. I don’t want to tell you by the year or by the month. I’d say even by the week,” Dermer said. “The more they push, we have to enforce our red lines … So in taking action to defend ourselves, you don’t know what could happen. But I think it’s higher than people think.”

Dermer’s comments coincided with reports in the Arab media of an attack against the Jamrya military research center, some five kilometers northwest of the Syrian capital, Damascus, allegedly by Israel. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and other Israeli officials have said repeatedly in recent months that Israel is committed to preventing either Iran or Hezbollah from maintaining a military presence in Syria once the civil war in that country concludes.

The pro-regime al-Masdar News said Israeli jets had fired at least seven missiles from Lebanese air space, scoring a direct hit with at least four of the missiles on a target in Jamraya.

Israel has regularly intervened in the war over the border with its northern neighbor to counteract the threat from Syria. The Israeli government has said it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent foothold in the country through its powerful Lebanese proxy, the Shiite militia Hezbollah.

Because of Hezbollah’s involvement in the civil war in Syria, Dermer said, conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was now likely in Lebanon also—where the two countries fought as recently as 2006. He based this analysis on the increased capability and experience the group had gained in Syria.

Last month Lebanon was thrust to the forefront of the power struggle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran when Lebanon’s leader, Saad Hariri, resigned during a visit to Riyad. But after a period in Saudi Arabia and in France, Hariri returned home and postponed his resignation, saying he had been persuaded to stay on in his role by Hezbollah-backed Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

By: TPS Staff
(TPS)

 

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