Iranian Defense Minister: Netanyahu Destabilizing Mideast to Harm Iran

The Times of Israel reports: Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami on Monday charged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was keeping the Middle East in a perpetual state of conflict in order to damage the Iranian economy.

Hatami also said Israel’s threats to strike Iranian targets were empty, during an interview with the Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV station, in which he confirmed earlier reports that Iran had signed a deal to rebuild Syria’s military. “I think that Netanyahu is maintaining a tense atmosphere in the region to have an economic impact on the Islamic Republic,” he said, according to a translation by Channel 10 news.

“Knowing our capabilities, I think Netanyahu’s threats to attack Iranian forces in Syria are far from reality,” Hatami added, citing Iran’s air defenses. Adding a threat of his own, Hatami said “the Syrian government has the right to respond to any aggression against it, as has happened in the past. Syria’s allies are ready to respond to any aggression.”