JERUSALEM: Israel has attacked Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, casting such actions as potentially helping to stem a Syrian Sunni refugee exodus to Europe.
Israeli officials have previously disclosed scores of air strikes within Syria to prevent suspected arms transfers to Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah guerrillas or Iranian military deployments.
But they have rarely given detail on the operations, or described non-Lebanese militiamen as having been targeted.
Netanyahu accused Iran, which has been helping Damascus beat back a seven-year-old rebellion, of bringing in 80,000 Shiite fighters from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to mount attacks against Israel and “convert” Syria’s Sunni majority.
“That is a recipe for a re-inflammation of another civil war — I should say a theological war, a religious war — and the sparks of that could be millions more that go into Europe and so on ... And that would cause endless upheaval and terrorism in many, many countries,” Netanyahu told an international security forum.
“Obviously we are not going to let them do it. We’ll fight them. By preventing that — and we have bombed the bases of this, these Shiite militias — by preventing that, we are also offering, helping the security of your countries, the security of the world.”
Netanyahu did not elaborate. About half Syria’s pre-war 22 million population has been displaced by the fighting, with hundreds of thousands of refugees making it to Europe.
Syria’s population is mostly Sunni Muslim. President Bashar Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Under recent deals between Assad’s government and mainly Sunni rebels, insurgents have left long-besieged areas sometimes in exchange for Shiite residents moving from villages surrounded by insurgents.
The political opposition to Assad says the deals amount to forced demographic change and deliberate displacement of his enemies away from the main cities of western Syria. The Damascus government says the deals allow it to take back control and to restore services in the wrecked towns.
Israel has bombed Iranian-backed militias in Syria — Netanyahu
Israel has bombed Iranian-backed militias in Syria — Netanyahu
- Netanyahu accused Iran, which has been helping Damascus beat back a seven-year-old rebellion, of bringing in 80,000 Shiite fighters from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to mount attacks against Israel and “convert” Syria’s Sunni majority.
- About half Syria’s pre-war 22 million population has been displaced by the fighting, with hundreds of thousands of refugees making it to Europe.
Saudi, Arab and muslim ministers voice deep concern over worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza
DUBAI: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Egypt expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
A statement published by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X cited severe weather conditions and restrictions on humanitarian access as key factors exacerbating civilian suffering.
It said flooded camps, collapsed structures, damaged tents and exposure to cold temperatures had significantly increased risks to civilian lives, particularly among children, women, the elderly and those with medical vulnerabilities.
The ministers warned that the combination of malnutrition, poor shelter and lack of clean water has heightened the risk of disease outbreaks, placing additional strain on Gaza’s fragile health system.
The statement commended the efforts of UN agencies, particularly UNRWA, as well as international humanitarian organizations, for continuing to provide assistance under extremely challenging conditions.
The ministers stressed that humanitarian organizations must be allowed to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in a sustained, predictable and unrestricted manner, describing any obstruction of their work as unacceptable.
The statement highlighted support for UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and US President Donald Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan,” as well as the ministers’ intention to contribute to efforts aimed at sustaining the ceasefire, ending the war in Gaza, and enabling early recovery and reconstruction.
The ministers also called on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities, urging Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential supplies, including shelter materials, medical aid, fuel, clean water and sanitation support.
They also demanded the immediate, full, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza through the UN and its agencies, the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and hospitals, and the opening of the Rafah Crossing in both directions, in line with Trump’s plan.
