Israel has bombed Iranian-backed militias in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, accusing Tehran of bringing tens of thousands of Pakistani and Afghan fighters into the war-torn country. Netanyahu's comments were a rare admission of Israel attacking foreign forces in Syria.
The prime minister said that Iran is using "80,000 militant Shias" from Afghanistan and Pakistan to "colonise Syria military with an expressed goal of attacking Israel." Israel has bombed the bases of the Shia militias in Syria, he added.
The prime minister has repeatedly warned that Israel will not allow Iran and Iranian-allied forces to establish a permanent military presence in Syria as the civil war there winds down.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that Iran and its main ally, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, will decide to leave the country once they see that "terrorism is eliminated." Netanyahu warned that bringing Shia militias to majority-Sunni Syria is a "recipe for a reinflammation for another civil war" that could push millions more refugees to Europe.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.