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UK Shadow Foreign Secretary Slammed for Painting Israel as 'Villain'

Thornberry's letter specifically claimed that there is "the risk of a drift by Israel and the US towards war with Iran", while also calling for the suspension of arms sales to Israel and the cancelation of joint exercises between the Israeli air force and the UK's RAF, planned for later this year.
Sputnik

UK Labour MP Joan Ryan has blamed Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry for allegedly distorting the truth about Israel and Iran in her letter to UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Ryan slammed the Shadow Foreign Secretary's letter as "nothing short of a complete misreading of the facts", adding that it was "beyond belief" that Thornberry had moved to "cast Israel as the villain".

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"The leadership of Iran has consistently made clear its desire to destroy Israel", Ryan noted, adding that it is "frankly incredible" that Thornberry's letter "fails to make any mention of [Lebanon-based militant group] Hezbollah".

"As you know, Hezbollah – a proxy army of Iran, which is funded and directed by Tehran – has a long history of carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli, Jewish and Western targets throughout the world. It, too, has made clear its goal: the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state", she claimed.

Ryan's remarks came after Thornberry warned that Israel’s bombing of what was described as Iranian targets last week added to "ever more dangerous directions" the conflict in Syria could take.

READ MORE: Iran Threatens 'Regrettable' Reaction if Israel Bombs Syria Again

She also urged Foreign Secretary Hunt to threaten the Jewish state with an arms sales ban and a suspension of joint drills between the RAF and the Israeli Air Force if the Jewish state continues its aggressive policy toward Iran.

"It would seem utterly inappropriate for the RAF to be helping to train pilots who would then be using those lessons in a war of aggression against Iran, or in breach of Iraq's sovereignty," Thornberry pointed out.

Her letter came in the wake of last week's Israeli Air Force airstrike on alleged Iranian military facilities in Syria, which reportedly left at least four Syrian servicemen dead and wounded six more.

READ MORE: Damascus Accuses US of Pursuing Israel's Interests in Syria

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iran to "get out of [Syria] fast", warning that Israeli airstrikes against Tehran's alleged military targets would continue.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in turn responded by saying that Iran would keep "its military advisors, revolutionary forces and its weapons" in the Arab Republic, despite the Israeli threats.

Iran Will Remain in Syria as Long as We're Asked to – Top Security Official
He also cautioned the Jewish state against "playing with the lion's tail", promising that otherwise Iranian missiles would "roar and fall on [its] head".

Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syrian territory over the past few years, claiming that they are targeting Iranian forces and warehouses which are allegedly located in the Arab country.

Tehran insists that its military presence in Syria is limited to sending military advisers there at the behest of Damascus to help combat terrorists.

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