Danny Danon
Photo: AFP
Ambassador Danon warns UN Security Council of Iran's entrenchment in Syria
Iran controls a military base in Syria used to recruit and indoctrinate militants for terror activities in the Middle East, says Israel's ambassador to the UN, adding Iran commands over 80,000 Shi’a fighters in the war-torn country.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, revealed to the representatives of the member states of the UN Security Council Thursday an aerial photograph of an Iranian base in Syria, which serves as a recruitment base for the fighters stationed in the area.
"What you can see here is Iran’s central induction and recruitment center in Syria," he said, holding up an aerial picture of the Iranian training base. "There are over 80,000 Shi’a militants in Syria under Iranian control. It is at this base, just over five miles from Damascus, where they are trained to commit acts of terror in Syria and across the region."
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon holding up an aerial picture of the Iranian base (Photo: AFP)
"All the signatories of this agreement must now make a choice: Do you support these necessary changes? Or, will you choose to enable the Iranian regime that supports terror and is attempting to take over the Middle East?" Danon demanded.
"Israel has a clear policy since the Begin government—we will not allow any regime that wants to destroy us to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Period," he stressed.
UN Security Council (Photo: AP)
Segueing from the tyrannical regime in Iran to that in Gaza, Danon blasted Hamas for the weekly violent protests at the border with Israel, echoing US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's assertion that the terror organization "uses women and children as human shields while they hide behind them, hoping that they will be hurt and even die."
"This is the essence of evil," he continued. "For the Palestinian leadership any death is an opportunity to manipulate public opinion.
Danon then affirmed that "Israel has a responsibility to protect its sovereignty and we are working to minimize the number of casualties," but made clear that Israel "will not apologize for defending" itself, casting the full brunt of responsibility for those killed in the border riots on Hamas.
