Zarif: Israel's Adventures in Syria are Dangerous, War is Not Excluded

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, accused Israel of engaging in 'adventurism' with its bombings in Syria and stated that the possibility of military confrontation between Iran and Israel cannot be ruled out. Zarif made these remarks in an interview with the German newspaper 'Süddeutsche Zeitung' published on Thursday, February 21. He mentioned that Iran is present in Syria at the invitation of the Syrian government, but Israel is violating the airspace of Syria and Lebanon as well as international law with its actions. The Iranian Foreign Minister said, 'Israel has engaged in adventurism, and adventurism is always dangerous.' In response to the question of whether a military confrontation between Iran and Israel is likely, he stated, 'I don't know, but we cannot rule out this possibility.' Israel feels threatened by the military presence of the Islamic Republic in Syria near its borders and has consistently targeted locations to diminish Iran's presence in Syria. General Gadi Eisenkot, the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, who recently left this position after four years, stated in interviews with the New York Times and Israeli media that his tenure coincided with 'thousands' of Israeli attacks on 'Iranian targets' and their allies in Syria. He also warned Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying, 'Anyone who acts against us puts their life at risk.' Following this, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, confirmed that the recent attack on Damascus International Airport was conducted to 'destroy Iranian weapons depots,' and that hundreds of similar attacks have been carried out by Israel in recent months. Netanyahu, during the inauguration ceremony of the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, referred to the statements of Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, who said that Iran has an 'advisory presence' in Syria at the invitation of the legitimate Syrian government, and stated, 'I advise Iran to leave Syria quickly, as we will continue our policy of attack, which we have previously promised.' On Sunday, February 17, Zarif also stated at the Munich Security Conference, in response to the question of whether the risk of war in the region has increased, 'Certainly, there are those who seek this.' When asked 'who?', he replied, 'Israel.'