‘Noose of terror’ Iran and Israel in war of words after Netanyahu threatens action
ISRAEL and Iran are locked in a bitter war of words after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded his country’s Middle Eastern neighbour “the greatest threat to our world” – prompting a sharp retort from Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
By CIARAN MCGRATH
Express.co.uk
Sun, Feb 18, 2018
In a speech to the Munich Security Conference, Mr Netanyahu signalled that he is ready to take action against the country itself, and not just its Middle East allies, if necessary – prompting Mr Sarif to hit back hours later by claiming that the recent downing of an Israeli jet by Syrian forces had shattered Israel’s “so-called invincibility”.
Holding a piece of what he said was an Iranian drone after its incursion into Israeli airspace earlier this month, Mr Netanyahu said: “Israel will not allow the regime to put a noose of terror around our neck.
“We will act if necessary not just against Iran’s proxies but against Iran itself.”
Addressing the event for the first time, Mr Netanyahu urged officials and diplomats from the United States and Europe to counter Iran immediately, displaying a map showing what he claimed was Iran’s growing presence in the Middle East.
He said Iran was increasing its power as the US-led coalition against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria regains territory from militants.
He explained: “The unfortunate thing is that as ISIS compresses and Iran moves in, it is trying to establish this continuous empire surrounding the Middle East from the south in Yemen but also trying to create a land bridge from Iran to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.
“This is a very dangerous development for our region.”
The Rest…HERE
