Defense Moshe Ya'alon speaks during a joint press conference in Jerusalem on November 18, 2015. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Times of Israel: Ya’alon: I would prefer Islamic State to Iran in Syria
Defense minister says jihadists don’t ‘have capabilities’ of Islamic Republic, which he brands Israel’s ‘greatest enemy’
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday that Iran poses a greater threat than the Islamic State, and that if the Syrian regime were to fall, Israel would prefer that IS was in control of the territory than an Iranian proxy.
“In Syria, if the choice is between Iran and the Islamic State, I choose the Islamic State. They don’t have the capabilities that Iran has,” Ya’alon told a conference held by the Institute of National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
“Our greatest enemy is the Iranian regime that has declared war on us,” the defense minister said of the threats facing Israel.
“Iran tried to open a terror front against us on the Golan Heights,” he said in reference to efforts by Iranian proxy Hezbollah to plan attacks on Israel.
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WNU Editor: I can understand this point of view. Iran has the resources to be an existential threat to Israel .... the Islamic State is still too small and weak to be a threat to Israel.
More News On Israel's Defense Minister's Comments On Preferring The Islamic State over Iran In Syria
Ya'alon: In choice between Iran and ISIS, I prefer ISIS -- YNet News
Ya'alon: If I had a choice - I'd choose ISIS over Iran -- Arutz Sheva
Israeli defense minister: If I had to choose between Iran and ISIS, I’d choose ISIS -- Washington Post
‘I prefer ISIS’: Iran’s terror infrastructure is greater threat to Israel – defense minister -- RT
An Israeli minister says he'd prefer Daesh to Iran in Syria -- Al Bawaba
Israeli minister says he prefers Daesh to Iran in Syria -- Press TV (Iran)
6 comments:
And there it is. Right from the horse's mouth.
Zionist conspiracy theories incoming.
Funny thing is, I'm sure the feeling is mutual.
The Hezbollah/Syrian program ( which is still ongoing), to create "resistance groups" in the Golan had two aims,
- mobilize and arm the Syrian Druse villages in the Golan, ( who so far have mostly sat on the fence in the Syrian War), to defend their villages and reclaim some villages from the al Nusra forces attacking out of Jordan, and take some of the pressure off the SAA.
- use the anger of the Druse in the Israeli Occupied Golan heights, over Israel's open support for al Nusra in Syria, ( medical aid, weapons, food, intelligence, artillary strikes, limited air support) to mobilize and arm them against the Israeli Occupation, or in the least, just make Israeli support for al Nusra harder to do and more politically volatile .
Despite all that ISIS, Ansar al Sharm and al Nusra have done, amongst a certain age of "Western" politicians and Military types, there still exists the delusion that Islamic Jihad can be used, directed, managed or co-opted.
After the Isreali-Lebanon War, the Syrian State, SPAF and SAA, reorganized it's forces to a purely defensive posture against Israel and militarially ceded the Occupied Golan to Israel. Syrian forces positions, new weapons an deployment became focused, ( until the Civil War), soley on preventing a rapid Israeli strike from capturing Damacus.
The sole "threat" the Assad Regime, or a Baathist Government, or a Nationalist Syrian Government is to Israel, is their refusal to cede the Occupied Golan Heights to Israel, and their refusal to disavow Lebanese ownership of the Farms area, through negotiations or a peace treaty.
Israel is under the illusion that a jihadi ruled Syria will always, forever, be subject to Western military intervention, when in reality, if the jihadi's succeed, war fatigue will set in, deals will be signed, Embassies opened and a flood of Saudi, Turkish and GCC supplied weapons will flood into the Syrian Islamic Caliphinate.
No good choices, no good outcomes for Israel. They are in a for a long term holding strategy in an intractable conflict. For sure, if faced with the blinding honesty of Iran's intentions, one must concede Israeli desire to not allow for the Iranian noose to further tighten.
The horse is out of the barn. Especially if President Putin is giving a wink and a nod to the Iran/Syrian/Hezbollah moves in the vicinity, going against assurances given to Israel.
If Israel must play their hand, they will. Especially with the improved relations with the ME Sunni nations.
Still nothing good can come from increased tensions and provocations.
No surprise, of course Iran is stronger than ISIS. But the "terror infrastructure" blather regarding Iran is nonsense.
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