WarSclerotic

Israelis are standing steadfast on their red lines in Syria and everywhere else, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for a new class of Israeli Air Force pilots, Netanyahu made no direct reference to specific attacks in Syria or Moscow’s criticism of a strike Tuesday, which Syrian state media said hit unspecified targets near Damascus, wounded three Syrian soldiers.

Netanyahu also repeated his pledge that Israel would not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria and that the U.S. withdrawal from Syria would have no effect on Israeli activities in the neighboring country.

During the more than seven-year war in neighboring Syria, Israel has grown deeply alarmed by the expanding clout of arch-enemy Iran, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The IAF has struck dozens of Iranian military targets and convoys transferring arms to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

The prime minister reiterated Israel’s intention to prevent “Iranian military entrenchment, which is directed against us” in Syria.

“We will act against it, vigorously and continuously,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister praised the capabilities of the IAF, which he called “unmatched.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned Israel for carrying out a strike on Christmas Day, which it called a public holiday, although only 10% of the country’s population is Christian.

According to the Syrian military, the attacks were designed to “terrorize the Syrian people on such an occasion,” adding that its actions did not differ from that of the al-Qaida-linked groups in Syria.

Lebanon also condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes on Syria from Lebanese airspace and said Lebanon supported Syria’s right to defend its sovereignty.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has instructed Lebanon’s envoy to the U.N. to submit a complaint to the Security Council against the “dangerous Israeli violations that threaten stability in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.