Israel concerned over Iran's efforts to establish presence in Syria

Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-15 20:18:49|Editor: pengying
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JERUSALEM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed Israel's support for the U.S.-led missile attack on Syria.

"Israel fully supports (U.S.) President Trump's decision to act against the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and Israel welcomes the joining of British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macaron in this action," Netanyahu told his ministers during the weekly cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu said he told May over the phone on Saturday night that the airstrike sent "an important international message of zero tolerance for the use of non-conventional weapons."

The Israeli prime minister also expressed Israel's growing concerns over Iran's efforts to establish a presence in Syria.

"The most destabilizing factor in the Middle East is Iran, and President Assad must understand that when he allows a military Iranian foothold in Syria, he is endangering Syria and the stability of the region as a whole," Netanyahu warned.

The U.S., France and Britain launched airstrikes against military targets in Syria's capital Damascus before daybreak on Saturday.

The joint airstrikes came under the pretext of punishing the Syrtian government over its alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack on the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus.

The Syrian government, however, has repeatedly rejected the allegations as a fabrication by the rebels and their foreign supporters to justify military strikes on the Arab state.

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