Israel asks Syria to remove Iranian forces

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to “get rid” of Iranian forces in Syria a day after clashes between Israel and Iran escalated in the country. Israel early on Thursday struck multiple Iranian targets across Syria following an Iranian rocket attack on its positions in Syria’s Golan Heights. Iran has sent tens of thousands of its forces to Syria to back Assad in the civil war, but Israel increasingly views Iran’s presence as a threat. Lieberman said Israel is not looking for a battle and told Assad that Iran’s presence would only cause more problems and damages. “Get rid of the Iranians and maybe it will be possible to have a different kind of life,” Lieberman said. In Iran’s first official response to Thursday’s strikes, Foreign Ministry spokesman Braham Ghasemi condemned the attack and said the international silence to Israel’s “aggressive moves” only permits further similar strikes. Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon called on the UN Security Council to ask Iran to cease its military presence in Syria.