Middle East

We’ll 'liquidate' Assad if he lets Iran attack us from Syria – Israeli minister

Israel will "liquidate" Syrian President Bashar Assad and topple his government if it continues to allow Iran to use Syrian territory to carry out attacks on the Jewish state, an Israeli security cabinet minister has warned.

"If Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues allowing Iran to operate within Syrian territory, Israel will liquidate him and topple his regime," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Ynet. 

He went on to state that "if Assad lets Iran turn Syria into a military base against us, to attack us from Syrian territory, he should know that will be the end of him."

Hassan Beigi, a member of the Iranian parliament's national and foreign policy commission, responded to the minister's statements later on Monday. "Israel can't do anything," he told RIA Novosti, reminding Tel Aviv that Iran has legitimate grounds to operate on Syrian soil, citing an invitation from Damascus.

Steinitz's bold comments come as Israel reportedly prepares to face a possible retaliatory strike after Syria's T4 airbase was hit by an airstrike on April 9. Iran blames the strike, which it says killed seven Iranian military advisers and members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, on Israel. Russia has also stated that Israel was behind the attack.