Spokesman Refutes German Claim on Iran’s Regional Role

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected the German government’s notion that Tehran has had a role in the escalation of tensions with the Tel Aviv regime after an Israeli military jet was shot down in Syria.

News ID: 68680

Date: 15 February 2018 - 12:04

The Islamic Republic of Iran denies the German allegation that Iran has had a role in the shooting down of an Israeli warplane over Syria, and deems it groundless, Bahram Qassemi said in a statement on Thursday.

As a rational country with a rich history and stabilizing polices, Iran “basically sees no need for escalation of tensions in the region,” he underlined.

“It is the occupying and aggressive Zionist regime that has posed a serious threat to security, stability and calm in the region, and must be rebuked (for this),” Qassemi added.

Voicing Iran’s support for the Syrian government’s legitimate right to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, the spokesman stressed that Iran does not seek tensions in the region.

It is necessary for the international community to take great strides in countering the Israeli occupation, acts of aggression and destabilizing measures, and to give a firm response to the hawkish policies of a regime whose existence hinges on tensions and conflicts across the region, he added.

Last week, the Israeli army launched attacks inside Syria after intercepting what it said was an Iranian drone.

The Israeli air raids began early on Saturday when the country's military said it had intercepted an unmanned aircraft over the city of Beit Shean "on a military mission sent and operated by Iranian military forces".

The Zionist regime retaliated by sending at least eight jets to attack Syrian and alleged Iranian military bases. One of those planes, an F-16 fighter jet, were shot down by the Syria forces on return from that mission.