Ya’alon will run for office, ‘I am now building my political base’

Ya’alon also stated that “The Iranians are willing to fight until the last Lebanese and the last Syrian [man] to reach their Shiíte goals.”

He made the point that this is similar to the way the late ruler of Syria Hafez Assad was willing to engage Israel near the Lebanese border while avoiding direct conflict with Israel in the Golan Heights.

“I believe that the [current] government policy on this issue is the right policy but one must stand guard,” he said.

He expressed regret that Israel is facing what he regards as a crisis of leadership and claimed that “leadership is [doing] what is right, and not what is useful or popular at the moment.”