Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to "get rid" of Iranian forces in Syria, warning their continued presence would only cause trouble for the war-torn country.
Lieberman was speaking during a tour of the Golan Heights town of Katzrin after Israel on Thursday launched its heaviest barrage in Syria since the 2011 start of the civil war there. The strike was ordered in retaliation over missile fire by Iranian-backed militias at IDF bases in the Golan Heights.
"I will take this opportunity to send a message to Assad: Get rid of the Iranians, get rid of Ghasem Soleimani and the Quds Force. They are not helping you, they only cause damage, and their presence will only cause problems and damages," Lieberman said.
Soleimani is the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, Iran's black-ops arm, which is fighting in both Iraq and Syria.
"Get rid of the Iranians and maybe it will be possible to have a different kind of life," Lieberman said.
He said Israel is not interested in further escalation.
"We did not come to the Iranian border, they came here," he said. "Our permanent policy is that if someone is about to carry out a terrorist attack or launch rockets at the State of Israel, we will always endeavor to counter them ahead of time."
Lieberman met with Katzrin Regional Council Head Dimitry Apartsev, Golan Regional Council Head Eli Malk and representatives from the Galilee region.
Tehran issued its first official reaction to Israeli attacks on suspected Iranian targets in Syria, saying the raid was based on "fabricated and baseless excuses."
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the Syrian government has the legitimate right to respond to repeated violations of the country's sovereignty.
A hard-line Iranian cleric threatened that his country would retaliate if Israel "does anything foolish."
Iran has advisers and experts and has backed tens of thousands of militiamen who are fighting alongside Assad's forces in the civil war. Israel has warned it will not tolerate its archenemy Iran establishing a military presence on its doorstep.
Israeli defense officials believe Iran's next move will be to try to restore its missile and rocket stockpiles and plot its revenge, likely through attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets overseas.
