IAF F-15s in flight. (IAF)
Israel is acting on its vow to prevent Hezbollah terrorists from obtaining game-changing weapons, the former air force chief confirmed.
Israel’s former air force chief says it has carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group over the past five years.
The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel to the Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes. Israel usually refuses to confirm or deny them.
Eshel said Israel hit weapons convoys destined for the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian forces, almost 100 times since 2012.
December 2015 was the first time that an Israeli official has openly confirmed that the IDF has thwarted attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“We in Israel did not take sides and did not interfere in the Syrian war,” stated Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold. “We have interests that we will protect, and red lines. When we saw that there are those who wanted to transfer Russian missiles from Syrian warehouses to Hezbollah, we had to disrupt that activity, and we will not allow it.”
Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to Israeli actions in Syria in an address earlier that month. “We operate in Syria from time to time to prevent it from becoming a second terror front against us,” he said.
“We are also acting, of course, to prevent the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon in particular, and we will continue to do so,” he added
Hezbollah has been working hard to arm itself with advanced weapons. Israel has stated repeatedly that it will not allow the terror organization to acquire advanced weaponry, which would threaten the country and compromise the IDF’s ability to maneuver in Lebanon in the event of another war.
Israeli leaders have warned that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, could drag the region into another round of hostilities.
By: AP and World Israel News Staff
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