I never thought that Syria and Israel should engage in a violent confrontation because I don't think that there is any particular interest for any of us to do it.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think Syria is in a particularly sensitive geopolitical position in terms of the politics of the Middle East.
It is better for the Arab countries themselves to interfere out of their national, humanitarian, political and military duties and to do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
I have sympathy for the people in Syria, and I do think there should be a worldwide response, but we should act cautiously.
Israel specifically does not want Syria to hand over weapons, chemical or conventional, to Hezbollah.
We are not directly involved in Syria. But we will be working with our partners in the European Union and at the United Nations to see if we can persuade the Syrian authorities to go, as I say, more in that direction of respect for democracy and human rights.
If Syria wants to be part of the international community, there are some conditions that they have to meet. And the first one is to stop embracing the terrorism.
I can only say it is not for us to decide who should lead Syria. It is for the Syrians to decide.
Any Israeli attack on Lebanon, Iran, Syria or Gaza will be met with a fierce response.
I think what we do really want to do is make sure that we take chemical weapons away from Syrians. And I do as well believe that because of the threats that have come from the United States, that Russia and Syria both understand that there needs to be some action.
We must do everything we can to be more aggressive in confronting Syria about what they are doing in Iraq.