Netanyahu: Syrian regime commiting crimes against own people
PM meets with French FM, says Syria must be stopped; Mid-East's problems not rooted in Palestinian-Israeli conflict – but rather in inherent instabilities of region, evidenced in Iran, Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and said, "What is happening (in Syria) is a crime committed by the Syrian regime against its own people. It's truly shocking and these atrocities must stop."
Netanyahu added, "The entire region is uncertain. This is the root of the problem in the Middle East. People believe that the root of instability is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If we had peace with the Palestinians, the centrifuges would not cease from turning in Iran and the Syrian turmoil would not end."
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He continued, "I have to say, however, that Assad's regime is not acting alone: Iran and Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, are there on the ground playing a n active role assisting to Syria.
"What we see in Syria is how extremist regimes have no reservations whatsoever about using these weapons even when they use it against innocent civilians – against their own people – and this demonstrates yet again that we simplay cannot allow the world's most dangerous regimes to acquire the world's most dangerous weapons," the prime minister stressed.
"In the end the extremists use these weapons, so we must prevent them from having these weapons," Netanyahu stressed, noting he was also referring to "Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons," asserting "Iran must not be allowed to get nuclear weapons."
In the joint press conference, Fabius added that "the chemical massacre which happened in Syria and is evidently the responsibility of the regime cannot go unanswered."
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon was also present at the meeting with Fabius. After the meeting, Ya'alon said: "In Syria there is use of unconventional weapon by an unconventional regime – a move that has led to the deaths of many innocent people.
"This is not the first time that the Syrian regime, supported by Iran and Hezbollah , is using unconventional weapon," the defense minister added, noting that "We are defending ourselves by ourselves and do not expect other armies to do it for us."
Sources with the IDF estimated that Assad forces have been using sarin gas, seeing as it evaporates quickly and must be sampled within a few hours or it cannot be detected.
"That is why the Syrian preferred it over a more persistent substance, such as the VX or sulfur mustard," Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Avi Bitzur, an expert on home front defense, noted.
"That is why the only way to prove whether there was any use of weapon such as sarin is to test those who were injured and their medical symptoms. Usually, those who were exposed to sarin seem as if there eyes are popping out and have involuntary secretions and muscle cramps."
Yoav Zitun contributed to this report
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