By Israel Kasnett, JNS—
The Israel Air Force carried out airstrikes on Tuesday night against a series of targets involving Iranian weapons’ transfers to Hezbollah, as well as several senior members of the terror organization. Syrian air defenses reportedly fired 30 anti-aircraft missiles in response, allegedly placing a number of civilian airliners in danger. Russia and Lebanon both blamed Israel for endangering the airliners.
This comes amid the sudden announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that he is pulling American troops out of Syria. This appears to endanger Israel, as Iran now has one less challenge to face in its effort to establish a land corridor stretching between Iran and the Mediterranean Sea, with a terror network that extends across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would step up its efforts—with full support from Washington—to counter Iranian aggression in the wake of U.S. withdrawal. Trump doesn’t seem worried. He insisted on Wednesday, during a surprise visit to Iraq, that Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself. With America withdrawing from Syria, that country now falls prey to Iran, Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Hezbollah and other players seeking to control lucrative territory. This ostensibly sends a bad message to America’s allies, including Israel. Continue Reading….
