Warning that back down from strike on Syria will have repercussions for Israel

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has insisted that Israel is ready to deal with repercussions resulting from any US-led strike against Syria. The minister added that if the US backs down from such a strike, there will still be repercussions for his country.

Ya’alon was speaking at an international conference in Herzliya on Sunday. He tried to reassure his fellow Israelis: “Your scheduled celebrations for the Jewish New Year will not change. Israeli citizens will continue their lives as usual.”

According to Maariv newspaper, Ya’alon said that Israel’s position has been to avoid intervention in the Syrian civil war: “We have stated that we will only intervene if our interests are harmed. We have set red lines to intervene in the Syrian civil war, represented in the transfer of chemical weapons to Hezbollah or the undermining of Israel’s sovereignty.”

On the role of the United State, the minister said that the Syrian regime and its supporters are challenging the world order. World leaders and national governments have sovereign responsibility and they are responsible for their own actions, he stressed.

Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz added that Israel would not intervene in Syria and will not participate in any military strike against it. However, it will retaliate “with force” if it is attacked or its vital interests are at risk, he said.