‘’We are not part of the civil war in Syria, but if we identify any attempt whatsoever to harm us, we will respond with great force,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.
His statement followed remarks this week by Syrian officials that they would hold Israel responsible for any US strike carried out in response to the Syrian military's alleged use of chemical weapons. On Monday a senior ruling Baath Party official, accused Israel of being “behind the Western aggression,” and warned that Israel “will therefore come under fire.”
Western powers are considering military action to punish the Syrian government for the alleged chemical attack that killed hundreds near Damascus last week.
Netanyahu held special consultations with defense chiefs and cabinet ministers for a second consecutive day to discuss the possible ramifications of a US strike against Syria.
Speaking at a memorial service for fallen soldiers, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said, “Those seeking to strike us will find us sharper and fiercer than ever. Our enemies must know we are determined to take any action needed to defend our citizens.”
In Israel, civilians flooded gas mask distribution centers spurred on by fears that any Western military response to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria could ensnare their own country in war.
A spokeswoman for the Israel postal service, which handles gas mask distribution on behalf of the Israel Defense Force's Home Front Command, said that distribution and telephone orders on Tuesday grew threefold from last week. Telephone hotline inquiries about gas masks grew fourfold.
In an op-ed published in Israel Hayom daily newspaper, Israeli journalist Uri Heitner asserts that the world has absolutely no interest in Syria's chemical weapons falling into the hands of the rebels fighting the Assad regime, especially the more radical of Assad's foes. He wrote: "Without massive intervention in the war, and without aiding one side or another, the free world – led by the US – must lead a focused attack to destroy Syria's chemical weapons."
The author called on Israel to stay out of Syrian affairs and says: "Israel is extending humanitarian aid and that is the only proper intervention."