Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett vowed to continue operations in Syria until the Iranian forces leave, considering that the presence of Iranian forces in Syria near the border constituted a serious threat, while Israeli security sources confirmed the start of the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria due to the Israeli raids.
In an interview with the Israeli "Kan 11" channel on Tuesday, Bennett said, "Iran has nothing in Syria and entered it during the civil war in it six years ago. Recently, Iranian forces began stationing near the border with Israel, and these forces pose a security and dangerous threat." On the cities of Israel, such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, and others. "
He added that Israel would not accept Iran's threats in any way, and added, "We will not stop our operations in Syria until Iran leaves them."
The Israeli minister considered that the Iranians were previously a source of strength for the Syrian regime, but they have now become a "burden", calling on Tehran to focus on managing the crisis resulting from the spread of Corona virus in Iran rather than continuing its "terrorist adventure."
"Within a year we can wake up to tens of thousands of missiles that threaten us. For them (the Iranians), it will be an adventure and they will be 1,000 kilometers from their land," Bennett said, vowing the Iranians to meet the fate of Vietnam, according to his description.
Bennett is expected to lose his position in the coming days, as former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz announced that he will take up the defense portfolio for the first 18 months of the next government, before replacing Benjamin Netanyahu at the head.
Meanwhile, the channel itself quoted sources in the Ministry of Defense that, for the first time since its entry into Syria, Tehran began reducing its forces and evacuating its bases there, in light of the recent Israeli bombing.
In the context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Tuesday that at least 14 Iranian forces and Iraqi groups loyal to them were killed in raids that targeted at night sites in the Deir Al-Zour Governorate, in eastern Syria, amid expectations that they were Israeli strikes.