Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to those who criticized the Israeli strike in Syria, saying it is fortunate they have no influence on policy. The remarks were reported Sunday by The Zioneer.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday responded to critics of the Israeli strike in Syria, saying it is fortunate they have no influence on policy today. The brief remark, reported by The Zioneer, did not name the critics or elaborate on the circumstances of the strike. It follows a series of statements Katz made on Saturday defending the operation and targeting those who questioned it.
On Saturday, August 22, Katz published multiple statements detailing the decision-making process behind the strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase. According to Katz, the IDF recommended the strike several times based on intelligence indicating Turkey intended to use the base against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz issued a direct warning to the Syrian regime at the highest level and informed Washington. After the warning was ignored, the strike was authorized. Katz said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "caught with his hand in the cookie jar and forced to retreat." He accused opposition figures and parts of the media of politicizing the operation and later described a two-stage shift in criticism: initially claiming the strike was politically motivated, then pivoting to opposing the government's warnings to Turkey. He called those holding such views "dangerous" and warned they should not reach positions of influence.
The strike on the Abu al-Duhur base was presented by Katz as a preemptive measure against Turkish attempts to use Syrian territory to threaten Israel. As The Zioneer reported, Katz emphasized that the operation received IDF support and US awareness.
Katz did not specify which critics or political figures he was referring to in his Sunday remark. The Turkish government's official response to the Israeli warnings and the strike has not been reported in these accounts.
7 developments
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- DevelopingMinister Miki Zohar: Israel does US a favor by not attacking Iran
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz: 'We will not leave a situation where our soldiers are harmed unilaterally'
- DevelopingIsraeli commentator: 'Sad we need American approval to strike those who harm our forces'
Source and signal
- Open-source intake