Since 2013, Israel has carried out more than 100 airstrikes in Syria, primarily targeting the Iranian-funded Lebanese militia group Hezbollah and military convoys, but since the beginning of this year Israel expanded its involvement to increasingly target Iran directly.

However, New York Times’ columnist Thomas Friedman wrote that a senior Israeli military official admitted to him that Israel attacked the Syrian base known as  T4, in a separate attack. “It was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets – both facilities and people,” the official reportedly said.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal also reported the Israeli military targeted an Iranian air-defense system at T4 and a drone deployment to try to prevent Iran from using the anti-aircraft battery against Israeli jets carrying out strikes in Syria.

Israeli Army’s spokesman, Brig Gen Ronen Manelis, said on Friday the path and analysis of the drone indicated that “the aircraft was carrying explosives”.

“Tel Aviv will be punished for its aggressive action,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi told local press last week. “The occupying Zionist regime will, sooner or later, receive an appropriate response to its actions.”

Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later said in a US television interview that further Israeli sorties in Syria would have “consequences”. But he deemed major escalation as unlikely.

“I do not believe that we are headed towards regional war but I do believe that unfortunately, Israel has continued its violations with international law, hoping to be able to do it with impunity because of the U.S. support and trying to find smokescreens to hide behind,” Zarif told CBS News.

“The easiest answer would be to stop – to stop these acts of aggression, to stop these incursions.”

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/22/iran-pledges-destroy-israel-within-25-years-tensions-rise/