Iran, he said, is dangerous because it is “trying to establish an empire, a territorial empire from Tehran to Tartus in the Mediterranean, enveloping the Middle East also from the south through Yemen, eventually conquering the Middle East. This is what Iran is about.” He continued: “We are absolutely committed to preventing Iran from forming such a base, a military base in Syria, and we back our words with action.”

Israel has no interest in a direct confrontation with Iranian forces in Iran, but has shown that it is willing to take action against efforts by Iran to either transfer game-changing weapons to Hezbollah or building the infrastructure in Syria or Lebanon to build that type of weaponry there.

A smattering of Iranian soldiers and advisors in Syria, along with tens of thousands of members of Shiite militias, is a considerable security challenge for Jerusalem, but pales in comparison with the introduction of precision-guided missiles in the hands of Hezbollah. Iranian tanks, and even planes in Syria, is something that Israel could deal with easier than weaponry defined as tipping the strategic balance.