RT
July 24, 2013
Israeli Military Intelligence chief said that Syria is becoming a
‘center of global jihad’ right on Israel’s border, with extremists
trying not only to topple President Bashar Assad, but also to create a
state governed by the Islamic religious law.
Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned that
Syria is posing a regional threat as it attracts thousands of global
jihadists and Muslim extremists from around the world.
“A center of global jihad of vast proportions is developing on our very doorstep,” Israeli media quoted Kochavi as saying. “It
is liable to affect not only Syria or Israeli borders, but also the
borders of Lebanon, Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula, and have
implications for the region as a whole,” he said at a graduation ceremony for Military Intelligence commanding officers.
Kochavi argued that the extremists will not stop at toppling Assad,
but will go further and try to establish a state based on Islamic
religious law, or Sharia law.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) spokesperson Zaky Mallah’s interview with RT
confirmed Kochavi’s concerns, saying that Syrian opposition is willing
to accept support from anyone, be it “Bin Laden” or “Hitler”.
“The situation in Syria with the opposition is complicated.
Al-Qaeda took the advantage and they thought: ‘we are going to step in’,
if their own brothers are being killed by this tyrant and the world is
not doing nothing about it”, Mallah said.
Some Western states, including the UK, have so far backtracked on
their arms supply to the opposition – voicing concerns about the threat
of extremists in Syria.
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