May 5, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Iran has called on the countries of the Middle East to unite against Israel in the face of an attack on Syria.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called on the countries of the region to stand together against the “assault,” the Reuters news agency reported, citing the Iranian Fars news agency

Syrian state media accused Israel of the early Sunday morning attack on what it identified as the Jamraya military research center. located about ten miles from the border with Lebanon.

Reuters cited an unnamed “Western intelligence source” on Sunday who confirmed the Sunday morning attack and said that Israel targeted stores of long-range Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the attack, as well as an attack Friday on a warehouse near the Damascus airport also said to be housing weapons from Iran intended for Hezbollah. 

Iranian army ground forces commander Ahmad Reza Pourdastan offered to train the Syrian government’s army to fight against Israel, Reuters reported, citing Fars.

He also said Iran would be willing to take on Israel alone. “Syria has a powerful army and with the structure and experience it has against the Zionist regime it can definitely defend itself and there is no need for intervention by other countries,” Pourdastan said, according to Fars.

Also on Sunday, Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad called Sunday’s attack on the Syrian military research facility a “declaration of war” by Israel, in an interview with CNN, and said that Syria would retaliate in its own way and at its own time. 
 

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