Liberman
LibermanFlash 90

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot on Tuesday morning visited the IDF's Armored Corps in the Golan Heights.

"This morning, I visited the Golan Heights and an Armored Corps exercise," Liberman said. "I admit that I was very impressed and I am convinced that our Armored Corps is prepared and ready, and knows its job. Since I took office a bit more than two years ago, I have been closely following the Armored Corps, which a few years ago was in a deep crisis, with a severe drop in motivation to enlist."

"Since then, we have been following the Armored Corps' journey over the past two years. Maybe the best example of this is the enlistment rate, which has jumped to three times [what it was]... Never before were there so many who wanted to enlist in the Armored Corps. In my opinion, this trend will continue in the coming years, when the new and advanced Merkava 4 goes into service. What's also important to note is that the Armored Corps was and will be the IDF's main crushing force in any ground maneuver, especially here in the north."

Regarding possible conflict with Syria, Liberman said, "We see the Syrian army, which does not make do with ruling over all of Syria, but is working to build a large, new ground force which will return the country to its previous dimensions and even add to them. Therefore, we are following all developments and we are ready for every scenario."

Liberman also voiced his support for the renewal of sanctions against Iran by the United States.

Noting that the Tehran government spends more than $2 billion each year on support for terror groups around the Middle East and intends to spend even more.

"Renewal of the sanctions on Iran is necessary, especially for those who are fighting terror," he said. "We need to understand that the last agreement brought the Iranian ayatollahs billions of dollars, which they used not for the good of [Iranian] citizens but for the good of terror and sabotaging the entire Middle East."

"The Revolutionary Guards and Quds Force's budget for those activities of sabotage, including funding Quds Force activities in Syria, funding Hezbollah, funding the Shiite militias in Iraq, and funding the Houthi militias in Yemen, as well as funding Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, stands at $2.5 billion per year. We need to understand that Iran has an extremist and ideological regime.

"Despite all the difficulties and internal issues, they continue spending over $2 billion annually, and intend to spend even more. Therefore, when discussing economic aid for Iran, it's not about aiding Iran's economy.

"What European leaders have discussed is support for the Iranian regime. This is not assistance to the Iranian economy, it is not assistance to the Iranian people, it is aid to the Iranian regime that is spreading terror on European soil, including recently.

"Therefore, we very much support US President Donald Trump's decision [to sanction Iran]."