Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman told reporters that he is not engaged in a popularity contest and he is unwilling to retract his statements made regarding Syria “crossing a red line”.

As was reported last week by YWN-Israel, Lieberman warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that if he pushes Israel into a war, he and his family will lose their rule of the nation, rejecting threats voiced earlier in the week by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem who warned war will be “costly” for Israel.

Lieberman explained that his position is quite clear, as he made it last year during the general election and he has no intention of retracting any statement for the sake of gaining points in the public eye. He also denied reports that the prime minister called him on the carpet to explain his statements, then censuring him. He stressed again he is not a member of the press and does not act towards earning popularity points with the public.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week called on quiet regarding Syria, instructing all cabinet ministers to refrain from releasing statements regarding tensions with Syria.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)