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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/opinion/war-syria-iran-israel.html
The Real Next War in Syria: Iran vs. Israel
(New York Times) Thomas L. Friedman - Israel and Iran seem to be heading for a High Noon shootout in Syria over Iran's attempts to turn Syria into a forward air base against Israel, something Israel is vowing to never let happen. Israeli Army spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis said Friday that the Iranian drone shot down on Feb. 10 "was carrying explosives." It suggests that Iranian forces may have been trying to launch an actual military strike on Israel from an air base in Syria, not just reconnaissance. "This is the first time we saw Iran do something against Israel - not by proxy," a senior Israeli military source told me. This certainly helps to explain why Israeli jets launched a missile raid on the Iranian drone's T-4 home base last Monday. Senior Israeli defense officials have let it be known that if the Iranians were to strike back at Israeli targets, Israel may use the opportunity to make a massive counterstrike on Iran's entire military infrastructure in Syria. These defense officials say there is zero chance Israel will let Iran establish a massive missile threat in Syria like Hizbullah has established in Lebanon.