In an interview with the BBC, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel was very concerned over the possibility that Syrian weapons would end up in the hands of terrorists, and that Israel had a right to prevent this from happening.
“The main arms of concern to us are the arms that are already in Syria – these are anti-aircraft weapons, these are chemical weapons and other very, very dangerous weapons that could be game changers,” Netanyahu said in the interview Wednesday night. They will change the conditions, the balance of power in the Middle East. They could present a terrorist threat on a worldwide scale. It is definitely our interest to defend ourselves, but we also think it is in the interest of other countries,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu was asked if Israel would act more “aggressively” against Syria to prevent the dissemination of its chemical and advanced weapons to Hizbullah and other terror groups, Netanyahu said “We are not aggressive. We don’t seek military confrontation, but we are prepared to defend ourselves if the need arises and I think people know that what I say is both measured and serious.”
Netanyahu was in London for the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, which took place earlier Wednesday.