August 31, 2013 – TEHRAN - Israel
will face retaliation if the United States launches a military strike
against Syria, a senior Iranian military official warned, Iran’s
semi-official Fars News Agency reported Saturday. “Israel will be hit by
retaliatory attacks if the United States launches an offensive on Syria
since it [the Jewish state] is the first instigator in attacking
[Syria],” Iranian Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said.
Iran staunchly backs the regime in Damascus and is Hezbollah’s leading
supporter in the region. Firouzabadi accused Israel of spearheading
efforts to drag Washington into a war with the government in Damascus.
The U.S. has stepped up its war rhetoric against Damascus after accusing
President Bashar Assad’s regime of using chemical weapons earlier this
month against opposition strongholds outside Damascus. The Syrian
government has strongly denied the accusations but vowed to counter any
act of aggression against the country. The Iranian military’s top brass
also accused Washington of siding with Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria,
warning of consequences in case of a U.S. strike against the war-torn
country. “The U.S., which has invaded countries in the region under the
big lie of battling Al-Qaeda following the September 11 [2001 attacks],
is now fighting in favor of Al-Qaeda in Syria,” the Iranian general
said. Firouzabadi also warned the U.S. war rhetoric could bring about
massive problems for other powers. “Regional countries backing this
cruel war will suffer serious losses,” he said. –Al Bawaba
The beginning of the end? The
Iranian leadership’s latest remarks indicate that Tel Aviv would be the
first casualty in this conflict, as a target of the response to any
American led strike on Syria. Afterwards, Iranian leaders would
instigate as much conflict as possible by targeting the Gulf and the
whole region. According to Hussein Sheikholeslam, the director general
of the Iranian parliament’s International Affairs bureau and a senior
Iranian lawmaker, the United States would not dare attack Syria, but if
it does, “the Zionist regime will be the first victim.” On Monday,
Sheikholeslam
was quoted on Iran’s state-run Fars News Agency saying: “No military
attack will be waged against Syria… Yet, if such an incident takes
place, which is impossible, the Zionist regime will be the first victim
of a military attack on Syria.” Iranian officials have also warned other
Arab states and regional countries of the negative repercussion that
they will encounter if they choose to join the United States. Mohammad
Esmayeeli, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and
Foreign Policy Commission, cautioned other Arab countries in the region
against allying with the west, claiming that Washington is not ready for
a new military operation. Esmayeeli stated, “the U.S, as well as the
western and Arab states and certain regional countries are beating on
the drums of war, but they should know that this is not to their
benefit.” More fundamentally, Iranian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Abbas Araghchi solidified Iran’s stance under Hassan Rowhani’s
presidency by emphasizing that Iran is resolved and determined to defend
Syria and Assad’s apparatuses. Araghchi stated in a news conference in
Tehran: “We want to strongly warn against any military attack in Syria.
There will definitely be perilous consequences for the region,” adding,
“these complications and consequences will not be restricted to Syria.
It will engulf the whole region.” –Al Arabiya
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