Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed not to let Iran establish a permanent foothold in Syria on Sunday, a day after Israel struck Iranian assets near Damascus and thwarted an imminent terrorist attack.
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"Through hard work, we managed to discover that Iran's Quds Force sent a special squad of Shiite terrorists to Syria to kill Israelis on the Golan Heights using explosive-laden drones. This was Iran's initiative, this was orchestrated by Iran and was to be carried out on its behalf," Netanyahu said during a visit to the Golan Heights. "We will not tolerate attacks on Israel from any nation in this region; any nation that allows its territory to be used for attacks on Israel will be held accountable," the prime minister continued, before citing a Talmudic teaching: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first."
Iran's Quds Force is the overseas arm of Iran's Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Video: Roi Avraham/GPO
The attack in Syria took place late Saturday, with Israel claiming responsibility shortly after. Netanyahu, who usually avoids making direct statements on alleged Israeli attacks in Syria, departed from that practice late Saturday when he issued a special statement.
He said Iran would not be allowed to use its proxies to attack Israel from the Golan Heights.
"Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression," Netanyahu said on Twitter.
