Israeli Minister: With Bashar Assad's Victory, Iran Will Reach Israel's Border

The Israeli Energy Minister has expressed "concern" that the victory of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria means that "Iran will reach Israel's border." According to the Haaretz newspaper, Yuval Steinitz made these remarks on Saturday, February 6, during a speech in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel. The Israeli minister stated that the success of the Syrian army, aided by Iran and Hezbollah, implies that "the border between Israel and Iran will become common." Steinitz mentioned that Turkey and Cyprus also consider the new situation "a danger," as "no country wants Iran to invade the Mediterranean Sea area." According to this Israeli minister, "the brutality of ISIS has shaken the world, and the desire to defeat ISIS has led the international community to overlook the threat posed by Iran and Hezbollah." Steinitz claimed that "developments in Syria are more dangerous for Israel than the tunnels of Hamas or Hezbollah." Yuval Steinitz, one of the closest politicians in the Likud party to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has long been responsible for the "Iranian nuclear file" in the Israeli government and coordinated Israeli agencies in the global effort against Iran's nuclear program. The Israeli minister made these statements while the Syrian army has recently achieved successes in regaining control over parts of areas held by various opposition groups. Recently, the Syrian army has advanced in the siege of Aleppo, creating hope among supporters of Bashar Assad's regime for regaining control over this province after a long period of opposition control. If Assad succeeds in retaking Aleppo, it will mark the biggest military victory in the five-year bloody war, a conflict that has resulted in at least 270,000 deaths and displaced over eleven million people from Syria. Iran claims to have an "advisory presence" in Syria, but every day, an increasing number of its casualties are returned to Iran. Thousands of Hezbollah fighters have also openly fought for the survival of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria over the past three years. Russia has also conducted extensive airstrikes in Syria over the past five months, further raising allegations of Russian support for Assad's regime. The Israeli Defense Ministry is angry about Steinitz's disclosures. In his speech, alongside his "concern" about "Iran bordering Israel in Syrian territory," he also stated that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered his army to "seal and destroy" tunnels built by Hamas militants. The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday, February 18, that the Israeli Defense Ministry is furious about the minister's "disclosures" as they seriously damage Israeli-Egyptian security cooperation. However, Steinitz stated on Sunday, February 18, "I did not say that el-Sisi is destroying the tunnels at Israel's request; Egypt is doing this for its own security issues." This disclosure comes at a time when several militants from Hamas's military wing have been killed in tunnel collapses in recent days. In one case, seven Hamas members and in another case, two militants of this movement suffocated in tunnel collapses. Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, stated during the funeral of the militants that "the tunnels are the vital artery of resistance." Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas last week that if it resumes tunnel construction, Israel's response will be "worse" than last summer's war.