Israeli minister: Assad a ‘monster’ but not Israel’s problem

A top Israeli Cabinet minister says Syrian President Bashar Assad is a “monster” but not Israel’s primary concern.

By: AP

Yoav Gallant, a retired military general and current security Cabinet member, told foreign reporters in Jerusalem on Monday that Israel will not allow Iran to establish a presence in neighboring Syria but will not dictate who leads the country after its civil war.

Assad is the region’s “greatest murderer” since World War II and is responsible for killing half a million of his own people, Gallant said. But. he added, “this is a worldwide problem and not Israel’s problem.”

Israel, like others, had once insisted on Assad’s removal from power. Gallant said he hopes Assad “won’t be with us” in the future but that the international community will decide his fate.