(Haaretz).Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday defended his controversial comments warning Syria not to attack Israel, saying that grave issues in the Middle East cannot go without response.
Lieberman on Thursday said "Assad should know that if he attacks, he will not only lose the war. Neither he nor his family will remain in power."
His remarks came after Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday told Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos that Israel was pushing the Middle East toward a new war.
Lieberman's comments drew harsh criticism on Thursday from a range of Knesset members, some of whom urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein him in or dismiss him.
However, the Foreign Minister dismissed the criticism on Friday, saying, "I don't work for the media or for public opinion."
"My response, which I made in order to clarify that the situation [with Syria] is unbearable, was immediately met with a hysterical reaction in Israel of 'how dare we anger the nobleman,'" Lieberman said on Friday in an interview with Channel 2 news.
He went on to say that he finds it unfortunate the Israeli left has adopted this reactionary habit and added, "I think that in the Middle East, we cannot let grave things go without a response."
Lieberman on Thursday said "Assad should know that if he attacks, he will not only lose the war. Neither he nor his family will remain in power."
His remarks came after Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday told Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos that Israel was pushing the Middle East toward a new war.
Lieberman's comments drew harsh criticism on Thursday from a range of Knesset members, some of whom urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein him in or dismiss him.
However, the Foreign Minister dismissed the criticism on Friday, saying, "I don't work for the media or for public opinion."
"My response, which I made in order to clarify that the situation [with Syria] is unbearable, was immediately met with a hysterical reaction in Israel of 'how dare we anger the nobleman,'" Lieberman said on Friday in an interview with Channel 2 news.
He went on to say that he finds it unfortunate the Israeli left has adopted this reactionary habit and added, "I think that in the Middle East, we cannot let grave things go without a response."