Iran is the primary destabilizing factor in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, adding that “the fight against the Islamic republic’s aggression is not over. It is still ongoing.”
Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu addressed the volatile situation on the northern borders, saying that Israel will continue to spare no effort to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, including foiling any weapon deliveries from Syria to Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon.
“We are working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and we are also working to prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria, where it can act against us. We are also working to prevent the delivery of lethal weapons from Syria to Lebanon or their production in Lebanon. All these weapons are aimed against the State of Israel. We have the right to self-defense, and therefore, the right to prevent their production and transfer,” the prime minister stressed.
Netanyahu said he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the weekend.
“I told him I greatly appreciated the American administration’s steadfast position on the nuclear agreement and against Iranian aggression in our region,” he said.
Commenting on the riots on the Israel-Gaza Strip border, the prime minister stressed that “Israel will not tolerate attacks emanating from Gaza. Our security forces are working around the clock to defend the State of Israel, its borders and its citizens.”