Israel to strike any Iran ‘military foothold’ in Syria - defense minister

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed on Thursday to strike at any attempt by Iran to establish a “military foothold” in Syria. Speaking with Elaph, a news website run by a Saudi businessman, Lieberman also threatened firm retaliation if Israel was attacked by Iran. “If they attack Tel Aviv, we’ll strike Tehran,” he said. The comments came as Lieberman visited Washington to meet US National Security Advisor John Bolton and other officials to discuss what his office called Iran’s “expansion” in the Middle East, AFP reported. Lieberman said of neighboring Syria: “We don’t intervene in the war, don’t fight there, but Iran is trying to establish bases there and attack us from there with advanced arms it brings to them.” On April 9, seven Iranian personnel were among 14 people killed in a strike on the T-4 airbase in Syria, with Iran and Russia blaming Israel for the attack.