(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) warned Damascus on Thursday against drawing the State of Israel into another war, promising that such a conflict would result in the deaths of many Syrian soldiers and the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime.
Lieberman further warned Syria to abandon its attempts to reclaim the Golan Heights, liberated by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War. “We must make Syria recognize that just as it relinquished its dream of a greater Syria that controls Lebanon... it will have to relinquish its ultimate demand regarding the Golan Heights.
The foreign minister’s bold statements followed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s accusation on Wednesday that Israel was avoiding peace. Assad’s foreign minister threatened Israel earlier in the week, saying that Israeli cities would be attacked in a future conflict between the countries.
Speaking at Tel Aviv University, Lieberman asserted that the Syrians “have crossed a red line that cannot be ignored… Our message must be clear to Assad: ‘In the next war, not only will you lose but you and your family will lose power.’”
Indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel ended without a breakthrough in 2008. Damascus has expressed interest in having Turkey resume its mediation role, repeating that in his meeting with Spain's foreign minister this week, but Israel and Turkey have clashed diplomatically over the last year and Israeli officials no longer consider Turkey to be an honest broker.
Netanyahu repeated his statement earlier in the week (see article on page) that Israel wants peace talks with Syria and is not interested in war. He and Leiberman issued a statement calling for talks without preconditions.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Labor) had warned earlier in the week that absence of peace with Syria could result in a regional war. Arab affairs expert Eyal Zisser countered Barak's statements on Thursday, calling them the reason for the sudden tenstion between Israel and Syria and arguing that it is likely to fade. In an interview with Israel National News TV (see video story on page), Zisser explained that neither country wants a war at this time. He noted that for the past 36 years, the border with Syria has been very peaceful as a result of Israeli military deterrence and not because of any peace agreement. Yesterday, Barak called for negotiations, not threats.
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