(Asharq Al-Awsat) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that Iran was the most dangerous threat in the world, saying that Israel was ready to act against Tehran and not just its “proxies” in Syria.
Saying he had “a message to the tyrants of Tehran” during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, he warned: “Do not test Israel’s resolve.”
“Israel will not allow the regime to put a noose of terror around our neck.”
He brandished a rectangular piece of dark green metal which he called “a piece of that Iranian drone, or what’s left of it, after we shot it down.”
Calling Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif the “smooth-talking mouthpiece of Iran’s regime,” Netanyahu said: “Mr. Zarif, do you recognize this? You should, it’s yours.”
Zarif was quick to dismiss the Israeli official’s claims as “cartoonish.”
Israel has said it shot down the drone on February 10 after it entered the country from Syria, and responded with a raid on what it said was the Iranian control systems for the craft in Syria.
During the strikes, one of Israel’s F-16 fighter jets was shot down, believed to be the first loss of an Israeli plane in combat since 1982.
Israel’s response marked the first time it publicly acknowledged hitting Iranian targets in Syria since the 2011 start of the war there.
Again referring to Zarif, who is expected to speak later in Munich, Netanyahu said: “No doubt Mr. Zarif will brazenly deny Iran’s involvement in Syria.”
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