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Zeev Elkin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel
Israel does not interfere in the Syrian conflict. But it has certain "red lines" related to the safety of the citizens of Israel.
It was determined by the Israeli government very clearly, we discussed this in detail and we continue to discuss it with our Russian colleagues, we talked about it publicly.
The transfer of a new type of strategic weapons in the hands of a terrorist organization like "Hezbollah" for us is, of course, a "red line", because the weapon threatens the security of our citizens.
The task of any government in the first place is to ensure the safety of its citizens.
Weapon that in Russia can be considered defensive, within Russian space, in the Middle East turns into an offensive weapon.
The placement of such a complex in Damascus means the ability to defeat any aircraft, civil or military, virtually over the entire territory of Israel.
Moreover, given the volatility of the situation in Syria, such a complex in Syria could mean a big question as to whose hands it will fall into in the future.
And this explains the very deep concern in Israel about such a prospect.
If there are wounded people on the frontiers of the state, their origin does not matter - they will be provided with Israeli medical assistance.
Any state has to provide such conditions in a similar situation.
Israel is very concerned about the precarious process that is now going on in Syria.
We are very concerned about the blood that is shed therein. We are very concerned about that situation.
It reflects not only on the citizens of Syria, but also on the stability of the entire Middle East.
But the difference between the fact that we care about it and some intervention or any considerations of who is best for us is huge.
We are not supporters of the current Syrian regime.
We have a lot of charges against Bashar al-Assad, in the first place, his support of terrorist organizations such as "Hezbollah".
Assad has actively supported Iran, which is carrying out systematic work to develop into a military nuclear power.
This is also a very big problem for us.
This "axis" - "Hezbollah", Syria, Iran - is very problematic, in my opinion, and threatens global stability and the whole of European civilization.
On the other hand, we are not starry-eyed when looking at the situation.
We clearly see the situation from the side of the Syrian opposition.
And we are very concerned about the fact that most of the organized forces of the Syrian opposition at the moment are radical Islamic militants, and some of them are directly linked to al-Qaeda.
So we have a lot of claims on both one and the other side.
In this situation, all we can do is wish success to both parties.