Liberman: Those who threaten Israel will pay a high price
"We have established here a state and the IDF specifically to prevent these threats, and those who threaten need to understand there is a price to be paid, and they will pay a full price," he said.
By AVRAHAM GOLDUpdated: APRIL 23, 2018 02:22PM Netanyahu At the World Economic Forum in Davos (Youtube/ IsraeliPM)
“Those who threaten [Israel] need to understand there is a price to be paid,” Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned Iran on Sunday, reiterating a claim that Israel will not allow the country to set up a permanent foothold in Syria.Following weekend reports that indicated Iran is willing to re-up its nuclear program should United States President Donald Trump leave the nuclear deal, Liberman said to Kan, Israel’s public radio: “The State of Israel is acting out of a lack of choice and in today’s situation we have no other choice.”The deadline for Trump to sign a waiver to extend the deal is May 12th.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that Iran’s atomic agency was ready with “expected and unexpected” reactions if the United States pulls out of the multinational nuclear deal, as Trump has threatened to do.“Our atomic energy organization is fully prepared... for actions that they expect and actions they do not expect,” Rouhani said, without elaborating, in a speech carried by state television, referring to a possible decision by Trump to leave the accord next month.“Iran has several options if the United States leaves the nuclear deal. Tehran’s reaction to America’s withdrawal of the deal will be unpleasant,” Iranian state TV quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying in New York.Liberman continued his volley against Iran, positing the IDF was created specifically to counter regional threats.“Iran is setting up weapons systems in Syria that are positioned only against us. We will not allow for Syria to become a military base [for the Iranians],” he said. “We have established here a state and the IDF specifically to prevent these threats, and those who threaten need to understand there is a price to be paid, and they will pay a full price.”“I hope that war is not near, our primary mission is to prevent it,” Liberman said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that the IDF “will not shy away from action against those who threaten our security,” likely referencing the military buildup north of Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon.Israeli leaders have in recent months stepped up their remarks about not allowing Iran to become entrenched in Syria, where several bases have been operating for some time. Earlier last week, Netanyahu said in his Independence Day address to foreign emissaries that Iran “is the enemy of us all – of the Arab world, of civilization.”Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, responded to Netanyahu’s comments, saying that Israel should “not trust” its air bases, as they are “within range of our fire.”Earlier this year, Israel shot down an Iranian drone that had been launched from Syria and had flown in Israeli air space. Israel launched a small-scale air strike campaign in response.“We have learned ways to overcome our enemies, and we can harm the enemy’s vital interests anywhere we want,” Salami said.Shoshana Kranish and Reuters contributed to this report.