BICOM

Senior figures in Israel’s security establishment asked the UN Secretary-General for greater international intervention to counteract Iran’s growing presence in Syria.

Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Israel on Sunday for a visit that will include meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, as part of a wider tour of the Middle East.

Yesterday the head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, Major General Herzi Halevi, briefed Guterres on current intelligence surrounding Iranian involvement in Syria and arms smuggling operations to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Halevi stressed the dangers for Israel of Iran producing precision weapons for Hezbollah within Lebanon, and said that the “consolidation of Iran and the Shiite axis in Syria, and the strengthening of Hezbollah in Lebanon are two processes that could lead to an undesirable escalation in the northern front”.

Israeli officials demanded international intervention to counteract Iranian activities in Syria, asking Gutteres to ensure the UN expands the work of UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping and monitoring force in Southern Lebanon, and attempt to prevent weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah.

Prior to meeting the Secretary-General, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Iran is busy turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment and it wants to use Syria and Lebanon as war fronts [in] its declared goal to eradicate Israel,” adding that “this is something the UN should not accept”.

The Secretary-General also met Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi  and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who said that Hamas “repeatedly exploits the Gaza residents by attempting to take advantage of Israel’s assistance” during a briefing on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday Guterres accompanied Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Netanyahu and a delegation from the opposition Zionist Union party on a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Guterres and Netanyahu later visited an exhibition on Israeli innovation at the Israel Museum. He also met with the families of Israelis being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Today Gutteres will meet Palestinian leaders in Ramallah before visiting the Gaza Strip tomorrow.

Since taking over from Ban Ki-moon on 1 January, Guterres has exercised caution towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, demanding that a UN report that accused Israel of ‘imposing an apartheid system on the Palestinians’ be withdrawn in March. He has said he intends to act as an “honest broker” during his visit to Israel.