A former Iranian navy chief said that
a US military attack on
Syria amounts to a direct threat to Iran and would
embroil the whole Middle East region in war.
"Syria is capable of attacking
Israel with scud missiles in two hours after the war starts. If the United
States fails to completely destroy Syria's missiles at the very beginning, it
would mean war between Israel and Syria and would possibly lead to an all-out
war of the whole region," said Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, former commander
of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
Moghaddam added that Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad's residences will be easy targets as soon as the fighting
begins, just like what the NATO troops did to Saddam Hussein's palaces.
"They are aiming at Syria's top
leadership and command centers first and foremost as a favor to the opposition
in Syria," the military expert said.
The past week has seen much harsh
rhetoric coming from Syria and its close ally Iran following reports that the
United States and its allies were preparing military action in response to an
alleged chemical weapons attack.
On Thursday, Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad sought to rally his troops, saying that Syria would defend itself
against any aggression.
Muhammad Ali Jafari, commander of
Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said a US attack on Syria
would lead to the "imminent destruction" of Israel and would prove a
"second Vietnam" for America.
Although Iran has no intention to step
in now, it will join the war as soon as Israel invades Syria, said Iranian
military expert Hossein Kanani Moghaddam.
"According to our defense treaty
with Syria, we will fight alongside Syria once Israel launches an attack; it is
our bottom line on Syria. If it happens, we will provide whatever help we can
for countries attacked by Israel as our military chief have said,"
Moghaddam said.
Some dismissed Iran and Syria's
threats as "mere bluster", but military experts have warned
otherwise.
US media reports say Syria possesses
more than 500 scud missiles and similar surface-to-surface weapons, which could
be fired at targets in Turkey or Jordan or at anyone on the ground in Syria
itself.
Meanwhile, some Iranians see the
potential US attack on Syria as a direct threat to Iran.
"The U.S. is getting to its
targets one step at a time, first Afghanistan, then Iraq, Lebanon and
Palestine, and now it is Syria. Iran will come next," Moghaddam said.
"But Iran is different from these
countries. Americans should know they have no chance of easily defeating Iran,"
Moghaddam concluded.
AP