Netanyahu says Israeli planes intercepted Iranian ones sent to rescue embattled Syrian leader Assad
JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥 Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country鈥檚 embattled president at the time, Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥 Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country鈥檚 embattled president at the time, Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
The remarks in a speech gave a new glimpse into Israel’s thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by insurgents last December.
Speaking to a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, a pro-Israel news agency, Netanyahu claimed that arch-rival Iran wanted to save Assad after watching the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in neighboring Lebanon suffer heavy losses in fighting with Israel.
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鈥淭hey had to rescue Assad,鈥 Netanyahu said, claiming that Iran wanted to send 鈥渙ne or two airborne divisions鈥 to help the Syrian leader.
鈥淲e stopped that. We sent some F-16s to some Iranian planes that were making some routes to Damascus,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey turned back.鈥
He gave no further details.
In fighting last fall, Israel detonated hundreds of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, days before assassinating the group鈥檚 leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Netanyahu told the crowd that he pushed forward the pager attacks after Israel learned that Hezbollah had grown suspicious and sent some of the devices to Iran for testing.
鈥淚 said, ‘We鈥檒l have to do it right away,鈥 he said.
Israel and a weakened Hezbollah reached a ceasefire in November, ending more than a year of fighting. Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon.
