Brandishing drone fragment, Netanyahu warns that Iran risks conflict

Source: The Washington Post


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brandishes an object that he described as a piece of an Iranian drone. (Lennart Preiss/AFP/Getty Images)


By Griff Witte and Michael Birnbaum February 18 at 6:47 AM

MUNICH, Germany — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday issued a stark warning to Iran, saying his nation was prepared to go to war if the Iranians continue to test Israeli red lines in Syria.

Brandishing what he said was a fragment of an Iranian drone shot down over Israeli territory last week, Netanyahu cited Iran’s efforts to “colonize” Syria with a permanent military base and use the war-ravaged nation as a launch pad for operations in Israel.

“Israel will not allow Iran’s regime to put the noose of terror around our neck,” he said. “We will act without hesitation to defend ourselves. And we will act, if necessary, not only against Iranian proxies that are attacking us but against Iran itself.”

The warning came in a widely anticipated speech Netanyahu delivered to the Munich Security Conference, the world’s most prominent gathering of its type. The saber-rattling address was followed later Sunday with a speech by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/brandishing-drone-fragment-netanyahu-warns-of-war-with-iran/2018/02/18/ab3be104-10e8-11e8-a68c-e9374188170e_story.html