Search

Israeli soldiers near the Syrian border in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights Israeli soldiers near the Syrian border in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights 

Iran anger at Israeli strikes on Syria

The Iranian government says it supports Syria's 'right to defend itself' after a wave of Israeli air-strikes hit army bases in the country on Thursday.

By Nathan Morley

Israel launched strikes on what it claimed were Iranian military targets inside Syria – they said the action was in response to rockets being fired at Israeli military positions in the Golan Heights.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry called the strikes a “blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty.”

“The international community's silence encourages Israel's aggression. Syria has every right to defend itself,” the statement added. On Thursday, Israeli jets destroyed intelligence sites, weapons storage centres, and Syrian air defence systems.

Jerusalem has repeatedly warned that any Iranian strike on Israel from territory in Syria would lead to a ‘major response.’ The Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said President Assad should ‘throw the Iranians out.’

The Iranian military has been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against a civil uprising and insurgents.

In response to the raids, Moscow, which also supports Assad, called on both Israel and Iran to show restraint.

Listen to Nathan Morley's report

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here

11 May 2018, 17:13