Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has urged caution over international calls to arm Syrian rebels and reserved the right for the Jewish state to block the supply of weapons that could be turned against it.
Speaking to the BBC, the Israeli prime minister said if advanced arms fell into the hands of Islamist militants it could redefine regional security threats.
Israel’s concern, he said, was: “Which rebels and which weapons?”
“We are not aggressive. We don’t seek military confrontation, but we are prepared to defend ourselves if the need arises and I think people know that what I say is both measured and serious,” he said.
Netanyahu was in London for the funeral on Wednesday of former British leader Margaret Thatcher.
During the evening, he met British Prime Minister David Cameron and the two agreed that Syria’s civil war posed “grave humanitarian and security risks”.