Israel seeks breathing space by stoking Syria crisis

An Iranian lawmaker says the Israeli regime tries to loosen the noose around its neck by fueling the crisis in Syria.

“The Zionist regime (Israel) seeks some breathing room by escalating the Syria crisis,” said Javad Karimi Qoddusi, who sits on the National Security and Foreign policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis.

“Today, the Zionist regime is tightly hemmed in by Syria, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran,” he said, adding that Israel is therefore resorting to any means to prevent itself from being completely shut out.

By intervening in the developments in Syria, Israel has created a “serious challenge” for itself, Qoddusi said, adding that Tel Aviv now “seeks to cover up its failures in Syria by spreading fear and intimidation.”

The lawmaker added that Israel’s attack against the Gaza Strip, military threats against Syria and Iran, and violations of Lebanon’s airspace all indicate that Tel Aviv seeks to intimidate countries supporting the resistance front.

He further stressed that the nature of Israel has been based on “US-backed aggression and warmongering.”

On May 5, the Syrian state television reported that Israel had attacked the Jamraya Research Center, located northwest of Damascus. The center had been targeted by another Israeli airstrike back in January.

Sunday’s aggression came shortly after Tel Aviv confirmed on Friday that its warplanes had hit a “game-changing” target in Syria.

The crisis in Syria began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants fighting in Syria are foreign nationals.