Lieberman: Israel won't tolerate Iranian presence on its border

Israeli Defence Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, yesterday warned Israel’s northern neighbours, Lebanon and Syria, not to “test” Tel Aviv, after a number of rockets fell in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights from Syria last week, Jerusalem Post reported.

“We have no intention of entering any conflict, but I advise our neighbours not to test us,” Lieberman told military journalists during a briefing held at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

On Saturday, two stray mortars landed near a security fence in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights in the latest of a series of such incidents. The projectiles were believed to have been stray rockets used during fighting in neighbouring Syria. They caused no injuries or damage.

Although the Israeli minister pointed out that he did not see any chance for military escalations on the border, he asserted that “the smallest incident or miscalculation” by either sides would lead to conflict.

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“We will not tolerate any spillover into our territory,” he warned.

On Syria’s military situation, the Lieberman stressed that the Syrian opposition “are not our friends”, however, he added, Israel is ready to accept any ceasefire in Syria that does not involve Iran, Hezbollah or Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

“We cannot allow a man like Assad, who kills his own citizens and who uses chemical weapons against them to remain in power,” the Israeli official said, noting “keeping Assad in power is not in our security interests. As long as he is in power, Iran and Hezbollah will be in Syria.”

He warned that Israel “we will not tolerate any Iranian presence on the border, and we will continue to act against that”.