In response to Israel saying it opposes any attempt by Tehran to entrench itself militarily in Syria, a lawmaker has said Iranian military forces can be deployed in the Arab country at its request in accordance with international law.
"Iran has an advisory presence in Syria, but, under international law, this presence can be turned into a military one at the request of Syria," Abolfazl Hassan-Beiki told ICANA in an interview published on Tuesday, in reference to Israeli officials' recent threats against Iran.
According to Israel's Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Saturday that an Iranian drone had entered Israeli-occupied territories, saying, "I have been warning for some time about the dangers of Iran's military entrenchment in Syria."
"Iran seeks to use Syrian territory to attack Israel for its professed goal of destroying Israel," he claimed, adding that Israel holds Tehran and Damascus responsible for the incident.
Israel claimed it launched airstrikes against air defenses and Iranian targets in Syria on Saturday and the Syrian army said it had hit an Israeli F-16 that crashed in northern Israel, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military claimed the F-16 jet came down during a mission to strike Iranian drone installations in Syria and that it had sent its jets into the war-torn country after shooting down an Iranian drone. Tehran rejected the allegations, reiterating that only its military advisors are present in the country.
UN Charter
Hassan-Beiki said Iran started providing military advice in Syria to help fight terrorism in coordination with its government and based on the United Nations Charter.
"Even if a government asks another government for military assistance, it would be possible within the UN framework," he said, warning the United States and Israel against any move that would make the situation in Syria reach such a point.
According to the UN Charter, regional arrangements are permitted to deal with matters of self-defense relating to the maintenance of international peace and security provided that they are consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN.
The lawmaker noted that Washington has always been looking for new pretexts to expand its presence in the region and that Saudi Arabia is assisting it with the help of petrodollars.
Hassan-Beiki also said the US has been attempting to persuade its European allies to increase their military activities in the region but has failed so far because Europeans do not have a favorable view of their governments having military adventures in Asia.
