Netanyahu says Israeli air force 'crucial' to countering Iran in Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Israel's air force for its "crucial" role in countering Iran in Syria on Wednesday, as his defense minister vowed to continue hitting the Islamic republic's forces in the country if attempts at military entrenchment continue.
"We will not let Iran establish military bases in Syria and we will not let Iran develop nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told a conference for international air force commanders at the Tel Nof air base.
"The Israeli Air Force plays a crucial role in implementing this policy and it has done so consistently and effectively now for the past several years," he added.
Iran's transfer of personnel and weapons systems into the territory of its Syrian ally has become the focus of Israel's defense apparatus.
The Israeli military has disclosed two sweeping air strikes on Iranian targets in Syria in February and May -- in response to an Iranian drone incursion and missile attack respectively -- although it is suspected of carrying out many more.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has said that the second of those confirmed bombardments wiped out a swathe of Iran's capabilities in the country, however flight data shows that after a brief pause suspicious cargo flights from Tehran to Damascus have resumed.
Speaking shortly after Netanyahu on Wednesday, Liberman was asked if since the Israeli strike Iran has changed its approach to Syria.
The defense chief answered that Israel is not interested in an escalation, but that "if we see continued attempts [by Iran] at military entrenchment, we will act again."
Meanwhile in Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Iran has become "more willing and more capable" to attack states in the Middle East including Israel.
The "weapons systems [that Iran has brought into Syria] have become more capable," the former top US spy, saying he was "very familiar with the issue."
Iran has backed the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad ever since an attempt to quell an uprising against his rule tipped the country into a civil war.
However Israel has rung alarm bells over the presence of Iranian forces so close to its northern border.
Ever-escalating tensions burst open earlier this month when Israel blamed Iran's elite Quds Force fired over 30 rockets at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
Israel has constantly vowed to hinder Iran's transfer of weapons into Syria, and has subsequently been held responsible for more than a dozen air attacks on Iranian targets.
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