Netanyahu Says Israel Has Thwarted an Attack from Iran
Iran has joined in the attacks on Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
Netanyahu tweeted a video of himself with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas during which Netanyahu held a piece of what he said was an armed Iranian drone that was downed in the Beit Shean area.
The Jerusalem Post reported the drone was downed Tuesday by an Apache helicopter.
I had a very productive meeting w/FM Maas from Germany. I expressed our support for the unwavering position of Germany in supporting our right of self-defense and it comes from the heart. Not only representing the government but the people of Israel in our time of need. Thank you
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 20, 2021
While we were engaged in these hostilities a few days ago, Iran sent an armed drone from Iraq or Syria, which our forces intercepted on the border between Israel and Jordan, and that I think says everything on the true patron of terror in the Middle East and in the world: Iran. pic.twitter.com/Erovffm4nW
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 20, 2021
“I described during our meeting that while we’re fighting on various fronts, the true backer of much of this aggression is Iran,” Netanyahu tweeted.
“Iran not only supports completely the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and gives them all the finance, they also give weapons to Hamas as well as to Hezbollah and they provide the scaffolding on which these organizations really work.”
“While we were engaged in these hostilities a few days ago, Iran sent an armed drone from Iraq or Syria, which our forces intercepted on the border between Israel and Jordan, and that I think says everything on the true patron of terror in the Middle East and in the world: Iran,” Netanyahu said.
#Israel|i PM Netanyahu announces that the drone downed by #Israel on the 18th May 2021 near Beit She’an was armed and had sent by #Iran, either from #Syria or #Iraq pic.twitter.com/dG37zPFMwX
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) May 20, 2021
Iran has openly embraced Hamas during the terrorist group’s series of rocket attacks against Israel, according to The Post.
The Post reported an Iranian news site quoted a letter from Iranian Quds Force Cmdr. Ismail Ghaani to Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades Cmdr. Mohammed Dief. Ghaani said Dief was “faithful to your promise to the enemy. The usurper tasted the fear, defeat and humiliation … This war has ushered in a new phase in the battle with the enemy … The equation is that the enemy cannot isolate Quds [Jerusalem] without receiving a tough response.”
During his visit to Israel, Maas said, “Germany stands with Israel and its right to defend itself.
“I came to Israel to show solidarity and support Israel after the rocket fire from Gaza. Israel has the right to defend itself,” he said. “Israel’s security and that of the Jewish residents here are not negotiable.”
Last month, the U.S. and Israel agreed to create establish a working group “to focus particular attention on the growing threat of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [UAVs] and Precision-Guided Missiles produced by Iran and provided to its proxies in the Middle East region,” the White House said in a statement, according to The Post.
In 2018, an Iranian drone from Syria was shot down by an Israeli helicopter in northern Israel, according to The Times of Israel.
Impact in Beersheba’s Emek Sara industrial zone pic.twitter.com/YnaaF5RtHx
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 20, 2021
The reported attack Thursday by the Iranian drone came as Israel is also facing rocket attacks from Lebanon in addition to those being launched from Gaza.
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