Lieberman: "If Iran attacks Tel Aviv, Israel will attack Tehran"

In an interview to the London-based Saudi news portal Elaph, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman clarified that while Israel does not seek war, it will not tolerate any Iranian presence in Syria and will strike back if attacked

Lieberman: "If Iran attacks Tel Aviv, Israel will attack Tehran"

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, IMOD)

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a Saudi news outlet that Tehran would pay a high price if it attacks Israel. "If Iran attacks Tel Aviv, Israel will strike Tehran and destroy every Iranian military facility in Syria that threatens Israel," he told the London-based Elaph newspaper.

Referring to the situation in Syria, Lieberman emphasized that Israel has not intervened the Syrian war since it began seven years ago. "We don't intervene in the war, don't fight there, but Iran is trying to establish bases there and attack us from there with advanced arms it brings to them," he said. "I can't stand idly by when I see Iran do that close to the Golan, and when it supports Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon and tries to establish a foothold in Syria in order to attack Israel."

Lieberman stated that "any site in which we see an Iranian attempt to achieve a military foothold in Syria will be struck. We won't let that happen, regardless of the price."

The defense minister also stressed that Israel is in contact with officials in Moscow, and that "the Russians know that we will not allow Iran to build bases in Syria" and provide them with advanced weapons.

Avigdor Lieberman is in Washington for high-level meetings with US officials, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Senior Adviser to President Trump Jared Kushner, and others.