Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran had crossed a "red line" by allegedly firing rockets at Israeli forces from Syria.
"We are in the midst of a protracted battle and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to entrench itself militarily in Syria," Netanyahu said in a brief video address.
Speaking further, the senior official said that the Israeli strikes were a clear message to Bashar Assad that if Syrian Army acted against the country, Israel would act against it.
"Yesterday, I gave the Assad regime a clear message: our actions target Iranian forces in Syria," Netanyahu said ahead of a security cabinet. "But if the Syrian army acts against us, we will take action against it."
The situation in Syria saw another curl of the escalation earlier this day after the Israel Defense Forces stated that its warplanes had attacked alleged Iranian positions in Syria, firing dozens of rockets onto Syrian territory in response to a purported bombardment of Iranian rockets.
READ MORE: Israel Afraid Syria May Become Another Front of Confrontation With Iran — Prof.
IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that the Israeli military had informed Russia of the planned airstrikes on Syria.
According to Russian Defense Ministry, 28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 planes were used in the attack, with more than 60 air-to-ground missiles fired over various parts of Syria, half of them downed.
