The Saudis have so far held out in formalizing ties with the Jewish State, citing a lack of progress on the ‘Palestinian’ issue.
Iran has threatened to “raze Tel Aviv and Haifa” amid concerns that it is planning attacks on Israelis and Israeli targets abroad.
“Upon an order of the Supreme Leader of the [Islamic] Revolution, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground for any mistake made by the enemy (Israel),” the commander of the Iranian Army’s ground forces, Kiumars Heydari, said on Tuesday, according to the Fars News Agency, the news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Heydari also said, according to Fars, that “the Israeli-occupied territories will be liberated in less than 25 years.” Those occupied territories could mean all of Israel. He noted that the range of the Islamic Republic’s drones and missiles has increased, indicating that they could pose a threat to Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that “The days of immunity, in which Iran attacks Israel and spreads terrorism via its regional proxies but remains unscathed – are over. We are taking action, everywhere, at any time, and will continue to do so.” He also said that, in recent years, “Iran has crossed a series of red lines, especially in enriching uranium at a level of 60% – without a response and the world goes on. Israel cannot – and will not – accept such a situation.”
Bennett said that he told International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi during their meeting on Friday that “we are acting, and will continue to reserve the freedom to take such action against the Iranian nuclear program as may be necessary, at any time, with or without an agreement. Nothing will tie our hands. We are not just saying this but are also upholding it.”
Syrian aircraft battle against warplanes and drones while Russian jets provide cover in first drill since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine three months ago
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The air forces of Russia and Syria conducted a joint drill over the war-torn country Tuesday, the first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three months ago, Syria’s Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said two Russian SU-35 fighter jets and six Syrian MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft simulated facing “hostile” warplanes and drones. Syrian pilots dealt with them with cover and support from the Russian warplanes, it said.
“All illusive targets were monitored and completely destroyed while aerial targets were hit at night for the first time,” the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement. It also released a video of the warplanes that it said took part in the drill.
The announcement came hours after Syrian state television reported that Israeli missiles targeted Syrian army positions south of the capital of Damascus, causing material damage but no casualties.
State TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli warplanes fired several missiles while flying over the Golan Heights before midnight Monday. It added that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the missiles.
A Twitter account tracking Israeli military activity in Syria claimed the strikes targeted sites in the suburb of al-Kiswah, south of Damascus, and near the Damascus International Airport, southeast of the city. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said the strikes targeted al-Kiswah. The claims could not immediately be independently verified.
There was no comment on the strike from Israel.
According to Syrian state media, Israeli missiles targeted central Syria on May 13, killing five people including a civilian, and igniting fires on farmland in the area.
Russia became involved militarily in Syria in September 2015 helping to tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad’s forces in the 11-year conflict that has killed half a million people.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said that during Tuesday’s drill, the Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out joint patrols along the Golan Heights and other parts of southern Syria.
The last such joint drill was conducted a week before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. In mid-February, the Russian military deployed long-range nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets carrying state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to Syria for massive naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. It says it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria and fighting on the side of Assad’s government forces, as well as arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.
Israeli strikes have continued in Syrian airspace, which is largely controlled by Russia, even as ties with Moscow have deteriorated in recent weeks. Israel has found itself at odds with Russia as it has increasingly supported Ukraine while seeking to maintain freedom of movement in Syria’s ski
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