Bennett: Force Iran to give up on Syria

Defense Minister says Israel has unique opportunity to force Iran out of Syria while Tehran is under pressure at home with economic woes.

Israel has the opportunity to push Iranian forces out of Syria and force Tehran to abandon its efforts to turn the war-torn country into a springboard for attacks on Israel, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett told top security officials.

According to a report by Israel Hayom Friday morning, during a series of recent meetings with senior security officials, Defense Ministry Bennett said Israel had a “window of opportunity” to take advantage of Iran’s ongoing internal problems – notably Tehran’s economic woes and ongoing protests inside the Islamic republic – to push Iran’s Quds Force out of Syria.

Bennett has, according to the report, argued that Israel must apply increased pressure on Iran militarily in Syria, but also economically and politically. He argued that Israel made a mistake in scaling back its activities against Iran in recent months.

The Defense Minister said Israel must ramp up its operations against Iran significantly, and take action against any Iranian military presence in Syria and other nations in the region.

Israel should increase its attacks on Iranian targets in Syria even at the risk of prompting an Iranian response, argued Bennett, adding that a sustained campaign against Iran would convince Tehran that the continued presence of its forces in Syria will not be beneficial to the regime.

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of Iranian protesters have been killed by regime forces as demonstrators have taken to the streets to denounce rising fuel prices.

As the death toll has risen, the protests have become increasingly political, with calls for top Iranian officials to resign.