WarSclerotic

TEHRAN — A senior Iranian security official threatened Israel with harsh “reactions” if the Jewish state “continues to attack” Iranian and government forces in Syria.

The semi-official Fars news agency quotes Ali Shamkhani, of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as saying that in case of further airstrikes, Israel “will face reactions that would cause sorrow and penitence.”

Earlier in September, Israel attacked the airport in the Syrian capital, Damascus, with missiles that are believed to have targeted arms depots there of Iranian forces and/or the Lebanese terror Hezbollah group — both allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s troops in the civil war.

The airstrike led to an incident in which Syria shot down a Russian spy plane, killing 15 soldiers. Moscow has blamed the incident fully on Jerusalem.

Satellite images from July 7 and 17, 2018, showing the results of an alleged Israeli airstrike on an airfield in Aleppo, Syria, which is said to be a base for Iranian forces. ImageSat International ISI)(

Iran has maintained that its forces in Syria play an advisory role to the Syrian army in its war on Islamic State jihadists and armed opposition groups.

In his speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran would stay in Syria for as long as the Assad regime wanted it there, but said Tehran was not seeking conflict with the United States in the Middle East.

Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate an Iranian military presence in Syria and has repeatedly hit Iranian bases in airstrikes, seeking to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Israel has also extensively lobbied Washington and Moscow, another key ally of Syria and Iran, to ensure Iranian forces and Iranian-backed militias are kept as far away from the Israeli border as possible.

Despite the crisis in Israel-Russia ties over the downing of the plane, Israel has restated that it would continue to act in Syria to prevent Iran’s entrenchment there, and to thwart transfers of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah.

NEW YORK — Israel managed to obtain several guarantees from US President Donald Trump regarding its freedom of operation in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.

“I received what I asked for. I came with specific points and I got them,” he told reporters in a briefing following his meeting with Trump earlier during in the day.

He declined to specify what he had asked for. 

Netanyahu’s comments came amid a severe diplomatic crisis with Moscow following the downing of a Russian spy plane last week by Syrian air defenses during an Israeli airstrike.

Russia announced this week that in wake of the incident, which it blames on the Israeli Air Force, it would provide Syria with the advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense system.

The prime minister added that Israel’s deconfliction mechanism with Russia will continue, as will Israel’s determination to act whenever necessary to prevent Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria and its efforts to transfer advance arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said he had discussed the downing of the Syrian plane with Trump.

“We have a goal, and it is as follows: On one hand, to maintain the security coordination with Russia, and second, to allow Israel to defend itself against” the threats emanating from Iran’s effort to establish military bases in Syria.

Still, he maintained, “The greatest threat to Israel does not come from Syria, nor does it come from Lebanon or from what Iran does in Syria, or even from what Iran does inside Iran. Rather, Israel’s number one worry continues to be the Islamic Republic’s ambition to acquire nuclear weapons.

“Iran wants to create nuclear weapons with the declared goal to destroy us,” he said, adding that the issue was discussed at great length with Trump during their meeting.

Also on Wednesday, a senior Israeli official countered media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin had turned down a meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the incident in Syria, saying instead that Israel had asked for such a meeting, and the Kremlin had neither rejected nor accepted the proposal.

It is likely that the two leaders will meet in the coming weeks to discuss the matter, the official said.

NEW YORK — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday harshly criticized UNESCO, shunning an event organized by the organization, and making it plain that Israel will not reconsider last year’s decision to withdraw from it.

Netanyahu, who is currently in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, was invited to participate in a UNESCO-sponsored event on anti-Semitism. He initially considered attending and meeting UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay there, but eventually decided to boycott the event.

“While I commend all efforts to combat anti-Semitism, I have decided not to participate in this week’s UNESCO conference on anti-Semitism due to the organization’s persistent and egregious bias against Israel,” he said in a statement.

“Since 2009, UNESCO has passed 71 resolutions condemning Israel and only two resolutions condemning all other countries combined,” he said. “This is simply outrageous.”

In this November 10, 2017 picture, UNESCO’S new elected director-general France’s Audrey Azoulay attends a press conference at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation headquarters in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Azoulay reportedly had told the premier earlier this year she was making big efforts to change UNESCO’s treatment of Israel, and added she would like to meet him at the sidelines of the UN session to discuss a possible postponement of Israel’s exit from the agency.

However Netanyahu’s statement was issued three hours before the conference was due to open at the UN headquarters in New York.

“The mark of anti-Semitism was once singling out the Jewish people for slander and condemnation. The mark of anti-Semitism today is singling out the Jewish state for slander and condemnation,” he said.

UNESCO

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At #UNGA, join UNESCO’s commitment to #EndAntiSemitism & all forms of intolerance through education!

Learn how we help countries deliver education programmes that help build learners’ resilience to #ViolentExtremism.

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2:40 PM – Sep 26, 2018

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If UNESCO wants to remove “this mark of shame,” the prime minister said, “it must do more than host a conference on anti-Semitism. It must stop practicing anti-Semitism. And it must stop the absurdity of passing resolutions that deny the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, between the Jewish people and our eternal capital, Jerusalem.”

Last year, Israel followed the US in announcing its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Jerusalem reportedly considered remaining in the organization on condition that several changes were made in the way it deals with politicized matters, such as the status of Jerusalem’s Old City or the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.

The Cave of the Patriarchs in the divided West Bank city of Hebron. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)

“No matter what UNESCO says, the Western Wall is not occupied Palestinian territory and the Cave of the Patriarchs — the burial site of Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah — is not a Palestinian Heritage Site,” Netanyahu said.

“In withdrawing from UNESCO in 2017, Israel and the United States made a clear moral statement that UNESCO’s anti-Semitism will no longer be tolerated,” he went on.

“If and when UNESCO ends its bias against Israel, stops denying history and starts standing up for the truth, Israel will be honored to rejoin. Until then, Israel will fight anti-Semitism at UNESCO and everywhere else,” he said.

Danny Danon speaks to the media prior to the Security Council meeting on the Middle East on May 11, 2017. (Mark Garten/UN Photo)

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also said it was unlikely Israel would remain in UNESCO in the foreseeable future as it does not seem as though the organization’s leadership is willing or able to make the necessary changes.

“If UNESCO stops passing ridiculous resolutions against Israel and uses the funds for its original purpose, not only Israel but also the US will consider returning to the activities of UNESCO,” he said.

“We have nothing against the organization or the goals of UNESCO, but when you look at what they’re actually doing there it’s frustrating. So why should we be paying for that and giving credibility to such an organization?” he went on.

UNESCO is best known for its World Heritage program to protect cultural sites and traditions, but it also works to fight violent extremism, improve education for girls, promote Holocaust understanding, defend media freedoms, and encourage science on climate change.

In recent years, however, Israel has been infuriated by resolutions that ignore and diminish its historical connection to the Holy Land and that have named ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites.

Israel’s envoy to the UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, attempts to deliver official papers announcing Israel’s withdrawal from the cultural organization, December 28, 2017. (Courtesy)

In June, Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen suggested a rethinking of Israel’s planned exit from the world cultural body, citing a “new spirit” in the organization after two resolutions critical of the Jewish state, regarding the old cities of Jerusalem and Hebron, were delayed by one year at the agency’s World Heritage Committee.

In August it was reported by Channel 10 news that Netanyahu had called Azoulay and thanked her for her efforts to stop what he called the discrimination against Israel in the UN agency.

A senior Israeli official was quoted as saying one of the ideas being examined in Jerusalem was not to cancel the withdrawal, but instead delay it by several months to check on the changes in the organization.

Netanyahu reportedly praised Azoulay for the fact that no anti-Israel resolutions had been passed at UNESCO for nearly a year.

At the UN headquarters in Turtle Bay, Israel launched its own anti-Semitism-related pavilion earlier this week.

“At the pavilion, countries’ leaders and ambassadors will be photographed with the #No2Antisemitism campaign slogan. They will then publish the images on social networks, leading to the campaign receiving a broad, international distribution in order to spread the message and stop the rise of Antisemitism in the world,” Israel’s mission to the UN said Tuesday in a statement.

Located in the Sputnik area of the lobby at the entrance to the UN headquarters, many world leaders attending the General Assembly stopped by the pavilion and had their photos taken, including the foreign ministers of Austria and Lithuania.

UNITED NATIONS — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran would stay in Syria for as long as the Assad regime wanted it there, but said Tehran was not seeking conflict with the United States in the Middle East.

Attending the UN General Assembly, Rouhani defended Iran’s military support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, claiming Iranian help was needed as a bulwark to defeat the Islamic State terror group.

“Our presence in Syria will continue for such time that the Syrian government requests our presence,” Rouhani told a news conference.

Israel has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in Syria and has repeatedly struck Iranian bases in air strikes, seeking to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Satellite images from July 7 and 17, 2018, showing the results of an alleged Israeli airstrike on an airfield in Aleppo, Syria, which is said to be a base for Iranian forces. ImageSat International ISI)(

Israel has also extensively lobbied Washington and Moscow, another key ally off Syria and Iran, to ensure Iranian forces and Iranian-backed militias are kept as far away from the Israeli border as possible.

But Rouhani directed his comments toward the US, which has not yet directly confronted Iran in Syria, but has withdrawn from a nuclear deal with Iran, slapped back sanctions and vowed to roll back the Shiite power’s role in the region including in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

“We do not wish to go to war with American forces anywhere in the region. We do not wish to attack them; we do not wish to increase tensions.

“But we ask the United States to adhere to laws and to respect national sovereignty of nations,” he said.

The Trump administration enjoys close relations with Iran’s regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel and has warned Tehran that it is closely watching its actions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, addressing a pressure group on Tuesday, vowed to act “swiftly and decisively” to any Iranian action that damages US interests in the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the UN in New York on September 26, 2018 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Rouhani quipped: “When the secretary of state says we will be held to account, why have they gone to Iraq in the first place?”

Earlier Rouhani predicted that that the United States would eventually rejoin the international nuclear deal that it backed out of earlier this year, saying talks this week at the United Nations showed his counterpart Donald Trump’s isolation.

“The United States of America one day, sooner or later, will come back. This cannot be continued,” Rouhani told a news conference.

“We are not isolated; America is isolated,” he said.

Rouhani pointed to a session of the Security Council chaired by Trump earlier Wednesday, where the leaders of Britain and France backed the nuclear deal, as well as a statement by European powers that say they will find ways to continue business with Iran and evade impending sanctions.

“We do hope with all the law-abiding and multilateral-oriented countries that we can ultimately put this behind us in an easier fashion than it was earlier anticipated,” Rouhani said.

President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations Security Council during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at UN headquarters, Sept. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

The elected Iranian leader said that his government would stay in the 2015 agreement, under which Tehran scaled back its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

“Until such time that we keep reaping the benefits of that agreement for our nation and people, we shall remain in the agreement,” he said. “Should the situation change, we have other paths and other solutions that we can embark upon.”

Rouhani downplayed the sharp words from the US administration, including a warning Tuesday by Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, that Iran would have “hell to pay” if it crosses the US.

“During the past 40 years we have been subjected to that type of language many times,” he said. “In this American administration, unfortunately, the language has been said to be somewhat unique and they speak with a different style, presumably because they are new to politics.”

Rouhani on Tuesday said Israel was the greatest threat to world peace, and responded to a fiery speech by Trump by claiming the United States was plotting to overthrow Tehran’s regime.

“The innumerable crimes of Israel against the Palestinians would not have been possible without the political and military assistance” of the US, Rouhani charged in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

He accused Israel of “blatantly threatening others with nuclear annihilation” and said the Jewish state constitutes “the most daunting threat to regional and global peace.”

Trump had earlier in the day urged the international community to isolate Iran, accusing the Tehran regime of sowing “chaos, death, and destruction,” ahead of the administration’s plans to reimpose harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic on November 5.

“We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons,” Trump said, citing Iran’s “threatening Israel with annihilation” and chants of “death to America.”

“We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues and we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny,” he said.

Trump withdrew in May from the nuclear deal, which was forged under his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015. The administration scolded the deal for its sunset clauses that allow certain restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to expire, its failure to prevent Iranian ballistic missile testing, and the degree of access it provides for inspectors into Iran’s military sites.

Trump’s pullout from the deal was met with intense criticism from world leaders, especially those of the other countries — Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia — that brokered the accord.

Rouhani also rejected Trump’s offer to hold bilateral talks with Tehran, saying, “On what basis and criteria can we enter into an agreement with an administration misbehaving like this?”

He went on to charge that the US was plotting regime change in Iran.

“It is ironic that the US government doesn’t even conceal its plan for overthrowing the same government it invites to talks,” he said.