Heritage Minister Amichai Shikly warned in an Army Radio interview Thursday evening that Israel must allocate resources beyond the Iranian threat, asserting that a war with Syria is inevitable sooner or later, and that Syria and Turkey together represent a far more troubling challenge than Iran. The minister's remarks come amid the ongoing multi-front security situation and a broader debate within Israel's leadership over strategic priorities.
Heritage Minister Amichai Shikly of the Likud party issued a sharp strategic warning during a Thursday evening interview on Army Radio (Galei Tzahal). Shikly argued that Israel's security establishment is overly focused on the Iranian threat, and must urgently divert resources toward other developing dangers. "We will be at war with Syria sooner or later," he stated. "Syria and Turkey together are a far more troubling affair than Iran." The minister did not elaborate on a timeline or specific intelligence driving the assessment.
The remarks add to a growing debate within the Israeli government over strategic priorities. As The Zioneer has previously reported, Shikly has in recent days warned against withdrawing from the 'Yellow Line' in Lebanon and cautioned about what he termed a 'new radical Sunni axis' backing the emerging Iran deal. Thursday's statement extends this argument further north and east, identifying Syrian and Turkish ambitions as a more acute medium-term threat than the longstanding confrontation with Tehran. Shikly's assessment has not been publicly endorsed or contradicted by other cabinet members or IDF officials as of this evening.
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