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Israel's Syria strike 'not signal for Iran': parliamentary speaker Geneva (AFP) Oct 9, 2007 Israel's air strike inside Syrian territory in early September was not a message for Iran despite claims by some US conservatives, Iran's parliamentary speaker said on Tuesday. "The violation of the airspace of Syria by Israeli planes was not meant to be a signal for Iran," Hadad Alel told reporters on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva. "Israel is not in a position to have the illusion of attacking Iran," he added. Israel last week lifted a veil of silence over its September 6 raid, with army radio reporting that "Israeli combat planes attacked a military target deep inside Syrian territory." Amid the Israeli blackout, most of the speculation on the raid had come from foreign media, with one version saying that Israel bombed a suspected nuclear facility that was allegedly being built with the help of North Korea, reports denied by both Damascus and Pyongyang. The hawkish former US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, told Israeli television last month the raid was a signal not only to Syria but also Iran, amid growing tensions between Tehran and the West over its alleged nuclear programme. "I think this is a clear message not only to Syria, this is a clear message to Iran as well that its continued efforts to acquire nuclear weapons are not going to go unanswered," Bolton said. Iran's parliamentary speaker denied however that his country had any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. "Our position has always been opposing the military use of nuclear energy," Alel said. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Sarkozy urges more Iran sanctions ahead of Russia visit Moscow (AFP) Oct 8, 2007 French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for "increasing sanctions" against Iran, saying previous action had forced Tehran to be more open about its nuclear programme. |
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