Israeli Minister: Red Lines Against Iranian Presence Include Iraq

A senior Israeli minister stated that the "red lines" set by his country regarding the Iranian presence in Syria also apply to Iraq. Zachi Hanegbi, a member of the Likud party and a member of Israel's security-political cabinet, said in an interview with the state television on Friday, September 6, that whenever information is received about the existence of Iranian missiles in any location, necessary actions will be taken; whether in Syria or elsewhere; Iranian missiles are "one target" everywhere. According to Mr. Hanegbi, Israel's regional cooperation minister, "everyone knows that Israel firmly defends itself in any region and any place." Since last week, when Reuters reported, citing "informed sources," about the "transfer of dozens of Iranian missiles to bases of Iranian-allied militias in Iraq," despite the denials from the Iranian and Iraqi governments, Israel has openly spoken of its intention to attack "Iranian targets" in Iraq. The Baghdad government has so far remained silent regarding Israeli officials' statements about a possible attack on "Iranian targets" within Iraqi territory. Israeli state television reported that the United States has asked Israel to "leave Iraq to America" and to be patient regarding attacks on Iraq. On the other hand, several reports from international and regional media claim that Israel has already begun attacks against Iranian-allied Shiites in Iraq; one of the latest attacks attributed to Israel occurred last week in the Tanf area at the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border, where, according to Arab media reports, one Iranian and four Syrians were killed. According to Zachi Hanegbi, the reason Israel has changed its deliberate ambiguity policy regarding the responsibility for airstrikes in Syria and has stated it explicitly is that "keeping this a secret is no longer useful." The Israeli army announced for the first time last Tuesday that in the past 18 months, it has conducted 202 airstrikes in Syria, "mainly against Iranian targets" using 792 missiles fired from fighter jets; on the same night and the night after, two more attacks on Syria were attributed to Israel. The attacks on Tuesday night in the provinces of Hama and Tartus were significant as it was the first time the coastal province of Tartus, which has Russian military bases, was targeted. Al-Arabiya reported, citing Syrian opposition sources, that several members of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed in the attack on a missile base in Tartus, which was under the supervision of Iranian military personnel. Iran and Hezbollah have remained silent on this matter. In the interview on Friday night with Israeli television, the Israeli minister seemingly alluded to targeting Tartus, adding that agreements between Israel and Russia regarding Syria are in place, but our interests must be secured. The American newspaper Foreign Policy reported on Friday, September 6, that Israel has "expanded its secret battle against Iran" and had been observing the situation in Syria as long as the rebels were against the Syrian army, but with the advance of Syrian government forces towards the border with Israel, Israel's role in Syria is now "full" participation. Foreign Policy also reported on Thursday, September 5, citing statements from over 20 commanders of Syrian rebel groups, that since 2016, Israel has provided weapons, vehicles, and financial assistance to 12 opposition groups in the Golan Heights and has been paying each fighter from these groups $75 a month. The Israeli embassy in Washington did not respond to Foreign Policy's report. Israeli media had previously reported that the Israeli army had halted its project of interactions with forces and people across the border, which had been implemented under a plan called "Good Neighbor" over the past two years, since mid-summer this year.