Netanyahu: Israel on the Verge of a Major Victory in Syria to Overcome Iranian Influence

Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is "committed to fighting the JCPOA" and expressed satisfaction with the renewed sanctions by the Trump administration in the U.S. On Wednesday, December 20, at the Israeli economic publication "Globes" conference, he said, "We are committed to fighting the JCPOA, both through special actions and operations and in the political arena. I am pleased with the renewed sanctions by the current U.S. administration." He reiterated his criticisms of the previous U.S. administration regarding the JCPOA, claiming that the Iranians received an "unprecedented agreement from Obama that allowed them to return to unlimited uranium enrichment after ten years and also received billions of dollars to build their empire." The Israeli Prime Minister added that in recent days he had separate phone conversations with Donald Trump, the President, and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, regarding their country's sanctions against Iran but did not provide further details. The United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran on May 8 and reinstated the sanctions that had been suspended as a result of the JCPOA, targeting Iran's oil industry, financial and banking system, and trade relations. Netanyahu stated that his country's army is the only army in the world that is "directly at war with Iran" and "strikes Iran in Syria," while "the U.S. is also hitting Iran's economy." According to Netanyahu, Israel is on the verge of achieving a "major victory in Syria to overcome Iranian influence." A series of statements from the Israeli Prime Minister in recent days indicate that he has made public the final stages of the covert battle that has been ongoing for decades between Iran and Israel. Netanyahu's recent remarks that "the Israeli army is the only army in the world that is directly at war with Iran"; "Israel may attack inside Iran"; and "Israeli agents periodically visit Iran" are unprecedented in the 40-year history of hostility between Tehran and Tel Aviv. This new statement from Netanyahu, suggesting that U.S. economic sanctions are a continuation of Israel's military war against Iran, is a concept that U.S. officials have not explicitly stated themselves. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, shortly after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, announced 12 conditions from Washington, calling on Iran to comply with them to reach a new agreement, but it seems that no official in Washington has yet classified the sanctions implemented in two phases, in mid-summer and then on November 5 against Iran, as "war with Iran." In response to Netanyahu's remarks last week regarding the possibility of an Israeli attack inside Iran, Bahram Qasemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, referred to the officials of that country as "narrow-minded and spiteful," stating, "The interpretation of the disturbed dreams of the Zionist regime is impossible." Additionally, according to Tasnim, Mahmoud Alavi, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence, accused Israel on Tuesday of playing a role in "anti-revolutionary movements" that he confirmed have recently increased against the Iranian regime. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, also tweeted on Tuesday that Netanyahu speaks of Israeli offensive missiles that "can reach anywhere... while he begs about Iran's missiles... and the West parrot-like repeats his "concerns."