As a reminder that there may not be any good solutions (only least bad
ones) in the Middle East, comes a speech by Moshe Yaalon: ----------------------------------

Defense Minister Moshe Ya�alon said Tuesday that Iran poses a greater
threat than the Islamic State, and that if the Syrian regime were to
fall, Israel would prefer that IS was in control of the territory than
an Iranian proxy.

�In Syria, if the choice is between Iran and the Islamic State, I
choose the Islamic State. They don�t have the capabilities that Iran
has,� Ya�alon told a conference held by the Institute of National
Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

�Our greatest enemy is the Iranian regime that has declared war on
us,� the defense minister said of the threats facing Israel. �Iran
tried to open a terror front against us on the Golan Heights,� he said
in reference to efforts by Iranian proxy Hezbollah to plan attacks on
Israel.

With its nuclear deal and recent lifting of sanctions, Tehran �has
escaped international isolation� and become a �central player� in
Syria, he continued. Both the US and Russia are treating Iran as �part
of the solution� to the Syrian civil war, Ya�alon said. �Iran
determines future of Syria and if it leads to perpetuation, Iranian
hegemony in Syria will be huge challenge for Israel,� he said. [...]

Turning to the situation in Israel, Ya�alon maintained that Gaza�s
ruler Hamas, which has fought Israel on three occasions in recent
years, was deterred and was not seeking an escalation. �Our presence
prevents Hamas or IS takeover of Palestinian areas,� he said. The
defense minister dismissed international efforts to push a peace
agreement.

Full article at http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-i-would-prefer-islamic-state-to-iran-in-syria/
--
Yisroel "Godwrestler Warriorson" Markov - Boston, MA Member www.reason.com -- for a sober analysis of the world DNRC --------------------------------------------------------------------
"Judge, and be prepared to be judged" -- Ayn Rand

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