Israeli Minister of Intelligence: Iran Seeks Long-Term Agreement with Syria to Establish Military Base

The Israeli Minister of Intelligence stated that "the most important goal of Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the United States is to counter the JCPOA," while the Israeli Minister of Defense claimed that "Iran is working in four areas to destroy Israel." According to Israeli media, Yisrael Katz, the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, said on Monday, September 11, at the first day of the "Counter-Terrorism" conference affiliated with the Herzliya Center for Studies, that the Israeli Prime Minister will meet with the President of the United States next week with the aim of "suspending the JCPOA, changing its terms, or canceling this agreement." Benjamin Netanyahu left Tel Aviv on Sunday for a trip to three South American countries, before heading to the United States next week to meet with Donald Trump and speak at the United Nations General Assembly. The Israeli Minister of Intelligence said on Monday that "Israel's request to the US to counter the JCPOA is not a stubborn request, especially since President Trump has called this agreement the worst deal." Katz noted that the case of North Korea was a bitter lesson that showed that "dictators who aspire to nuclear programs enter negotiations with the aim of changing the rules of the game." This minister, a member of the ruling Likud party, added: "The authorization that the US President issued for the sale of several billion dollars worth of weapons to South Korea shows what direction the Middle East will take after Iran becomes a nuclear power." The Israeli Minister of Intelligence also stated that Benjamin Netanyahu "must ask the US not to withdraw from its role in Syria; to be mindful of Israel's interests in ongoing agreements, and the US and Russia must understand that containing Iran in the region must also include Syria." Following the military agreement between Syria and Russia, "at this very moment" Iran and Bashar al-Assad are "in the process of arranging a long-term military agreement under which Iran will have a naval port and air and ground bases in Syria" and "Iranians may also infiltrate various missiles into Syria." According to the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, Iran wants to "bring thousands of Afghan, Pakistani, and other militia members to the region to fight against Israel under the supervision of Hezbollah in the Syrian Golan Heights, becoming a significant new threat to Israel." While Syria claims that with the support of Iran and Hezbollah it has achieved significant military successes in the six-and-a-half-year civil war, Israeli leaders have recently expressed increased concern over "Iran's military presence in Syria." Last Thursday, an airstrike on one of Syria's military industry centers in Hama province was attributed to Israel, which some former officials of that country implicitly referred to. On the other hand, Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Minister of Defense, also said on Monday at the "Counter-Terrorism" conference in Herzliya that "terrorism is just one of Iran's tools for destroying Israel." According to Lieberman, "the effort to acquire unconventional weapons, the establishment of a large conventional army, and the pursuit of greater capabilities in the cyber realm" are other Iranian efforts in three other areas to confront "Israel's existence." Israeli media reported that Lieberman described the Iranian regime as "the source and origin of terrorism." He claimed that "every type of Islamist terrorism is supported by Tehran; both Sunni terrorism, terrorist groups in Yemen, and even al-Qaeda; because we know of cooperation between al-Qaeda and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard." The Israeli Minister of Defense, naming Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, added that "in terrorist operations, there are always charismatic leaders who can draw the masses after them." Lieberman labeled the Revolutionary Guard as "the most evil and dangerous terrorist group," and Qassem Soleimani as "the engine behind all forms of Islamic terrorism." The Israeli Minister of Defense compared ISIS with the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that while ISIS and their Islamic State appeared here and there, even in the Philippines, it is Iran's terrorist actions that are carried out based on long-term and comprehensive planning. Lieberman continued, saying: "Just as radical leftist terrorism disappeared with the collapse of the Soviet Union, as long as the Tehran regime and Khomeini's ideology exist, this terrorism will continue." The Israeli Minister of Defense claimed that "Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad could not exist without Iranian support." He also said: "Could the Houthis fight in Yemen without Iran? And could the Assad regime continue to survive without Iran?" This year's "Counter-Terrorism" conference in Herzliya, which will continue for several more days, has become a platform for Israeli officials to express their statements, especially regarding Iran, as in previous years.