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Israeli minister warns Assad: Get Iran out of Syria or get killed

Energy Minister Steinitz warned that if Assad continues to keep Iranian military bases in Syria, “he will have his blood on his head.”

By: World Israel News Staff

“If Syrian President Bashar Assad continues allowing the Iranians to operate out of Syria, it will be the end of him, the end of his regime,” Energy Minister and Cabinet member Yuval Steinitz said Monday in an interview with Ynet.

According to Israeli government officials, Iran – furious over the recent attacks on its Syrian weapons depot and drone unit, among other Iranian targets allegedly hit by Israel over the past month in that war-torn country – could be preparing an attack on northern Israel in the near future, Channel 2 news reported Sunday evening.

“If Assad allows Iran to turn Syria into a forward operating base against us, to attack us from Syrian soil, he should know that will spell his end,” Steinitz declared.

Asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Moscow on Wednesday, Steinitz said, “It’s excellent that the premier is going. He has engendered unprecedented dialogue with Putin. Russia is an important superpower with which we have a lot of mutual interests. Sometimes there are also conflicts of interest, but usually our interests converge.”

Parroting Netanyahu’s repeated warnings about an Iranian presence in Syria, Steinitz said, “Everyone should understand, however, that certain things are red lines for us. If anyone is interested in maintaining Assad’s survival, they should tell him to prevent missile and drone attacks on Israel.”

If Syria continues to permit Iranian military bases on its soil, Assad will be responsible for his own assassination, the minister said, using the biblical verse, “He will have his blood on his head.”

“Assad can permit them to attack Israel from Syria soil, or not. He can permit them to bring in missiles, antiaircraft systems and drones into Syria, or not, and if he does—he should know there is a price tag,” Steinitz stated.