Iran war final test for Israel: Arab analyst

Tehran, Feb 13, IRNA – The shooting down of an Israeli F-16 fighter bomber by the Syrian army has clouded Tel Aviv's balance of power, its military deterrence and air superiority, said the editor-in-chief of the London-based electronic Arabic daily Rai-al-Youm. Abdel Bari Atwan in article published on Tuesday said that almost all headlines appearing in the Israeli newspapers and news websites these days suggest that the war between Iran and the Israeli regime is imminent as Tel Aviv will not tolerate existence of the Iranian bases in Syria in the vicinity of the Occupied Territories. Such headlines rather tend to show concerns and fears of the regime going through a hysterical stage than its might. The reason: infiltration of a drone from Syria into the Israeli airspace and the shooting down of the Israeli F-16 fighter bomber, a very sophisticated fighter jet possessed by Israel, by Syria's rather obsolete air defense system, Atwan said. Tel Aviv has called for dismantlement of the Iran, Syria, Hezbollah triangle, he added. But the veteran Arab journalist argued that Iran is not going to leave Syria as the country has been involved in the crisis in Syria not as an aggressor, but after the legitimate government in Damascus asked it to come, he said. Iran over the past seven years has stood by Syria and Tehran has played an important role in helping the central government in the country to stay in power and stand against all the US and regional plots, Atwan said. Referring to the Lebanese Hezbollah, the journalist also described as very significant its role in Syria. He went on to say that despite all the speculations about a potential war between Iran and the Zionist regime of Israel, such war will be detrimental to the very existence of the Zionist regime of Israel. If a war breaks out between Israel and the axis of resistance, and not just between Iran and Israel, this will be the final test for the regime of Israel and there will be no way for it to escape, the Arab analyst said. Atwan said countries like Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine have their roots in history and they have managed to survive for thousands of years. But it is not true for Israel. Israel may possess large military arsenals, but it is not capable of destroying a country like Iran 50 times bigger that the Occupied Territories., he stressed. Even by relying on their obsolete weapons, Iran and its allies could destroy Israel, he said. 1378irna