Israel‘s
outspoken foreign minister harshly warned Syria Thursday against drawing
the Jewish state into another war, saying the Syrian army would be
defeated and its regime would collapse in a future conflict.
Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman also advised Syria to abandon its
dreams of recovering the Israeli-held Golan Heights in a speech that ratcheted up
simmering political tensions between the two longtime foes and sparked
an urgent damage control campaign from the prime minister’s office.
Lieberman’s exceptionally sharp words followed Syrian President
Bashar Assad’s accusation on Wednesday that Israel was the one
avoiding peace, and the Syrian foreign minister’s earlier threat that
Israeli cities would be attacked in a future conflict.
The Syrians
“have crossed a red line that cannot be ignored,” Lieberman said in a
speech at Bar-Ilan
University, near Tel
Aviv.
“Our message must be clear to >>>