“We are prepared, ready and at the moment of truth will prove our ability and not give up our security interests,” Liberman said.
By: World Israel News Staff
Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman visited a Patriot missile defense battery deployed in northern Israel during a military preparedness drill on Thursday, during which he announced that Israel was prepared for any threat on all fronts.
“We are prepared, ready and at the moment of truth will prove our ability and not give up our security interests,” Liberman said while visiting the Israel Air Force’s air defense near the city of Tzefat with Brig.-Gen Zvika Haimovitch, commander of the Aerial Defense Division, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Commenting on the tensions on Israel’s northern border with Syria, Liberman said that now that the Assad regime has reassumed control of the area adjacent to the border, Israel expects stability to be restored there.
“From our perspective, the situation is returning to the situation before the civil war, meaning there is a clear address, someone responsible, and central rule,” he said.
Israel “has not and will not intervene in Syria’s internal affairs. But this is provided that all three points which are of significance to us are fulfilled.”
The first is “strictly adhering to the separation of forces agreement of 1974.”
The second and third points are that “Syrian soil cannot serve as a forward operating base for Iran against Israel and that Syria cannot serve as a way station for arms smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon.”
“As soon as all three conditions are fulfilled, we have no interest in interfering or operating within Syrian territory. When it does not exist, we will act in accordance with the security interests of the State of Israel,” he said.
Also on Thursday, the IDF concluded a massive exercise aimed at improving the Northern Command’s readiness and training the General Staff for emergency and combat scenarios in the Northern Command and additional areas, the IDF stated.
The IDF practiced its defense, attack, maneuver and intelligence capabilities in several arenas simultaneously, the army added.