Iran: We'll cut off Israel's legs
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND AP
30/04/2010
Ahmadinejad set to speak at UN nuke conference on May 3.
Iran on Friday threatened to "cut off Israel's feet" if the latter attacks Syria, AFP reported.
During a visit to Damascus, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said: “We will stand alongside Syria against any [Israeli] threat … If those who have violated Palestinian land want to try anything we will cut off their feet," he said.
Rahimi called Syria a "strong country that is ready to confront any threat" and said Iran "will back Syria with all its means and strength."
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US warns Iran, Syria on threats
The Obama administration Thursday warned Iran and Syria that America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable, and they should understand the consequences of threats to the Jewish state.
Clinton: Weapon transfer to terrorists could spark war
In a speech, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Syrian transfers of increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including rockets, to terrorists in southern Lebanon and Gaza could spark new conflict in the Middle East. Additionally, she said a nuclear-armed Iran would profoundly destabilize the region.
"These threats to Israel's security are real, they are growing and they must be addressed," she said in the speech to the American Jewish Committee. The speech was the administration's latest effort to reassure Israel that its ties to the United States remain strong despite tensions that flared last month.
"President Obama noted recently that there has been some of what he called 'noise and distortion' about this administration's approach in the Middle East," Clinton said. "Over the past month, we have attempted to remove any ambiguity. The president and this administration have repeatedly reaffirmed our commitment to Israel's security in word and in deed."
Clinton told the group that Israel is "confronting some of the toughest challenges in her history," particularly from Iran, Syria and groups they support like Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and reaffirmed US determination to get them to change course.
"Transferring weapons to these terrorists, especially longer-range missiles, would pose a serious threat to the security of Israel," she said.
Israel has accused Syria of providing Hizbullah with Scud missiles, which would dramatically increase the group's ability to strike targets in Israel. Syria has denied the charges. |
