Israel foiled Iran’s secret mission to rescue Assad, Netanyahu reveals

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Sunday that Israeli fighter jets intercepted Iranian aircraft last year that were en route to Syria to aid embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. Netanyahu’s remarks, made during a speech at a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, shed new light on Israel’s strategic military operations during the final days of Assad’s rule before he was ultimately overthrown by insurgent forces in December.

According to Netanyahu, Iran had planned to send military reinforcements to Syria, deploying what he described as “one or two airborne divisions” to bolster Assad's faltering grip on power. The move came after Iran observed its proxy, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, suffer significant losses in battles with Israeli forces.

“They had to rescue Assad,” Netanyahu said, explaining Tehran’s motivation to intervene more directly as the Syrian regime faced collapse.

Describing the Israeli response, Netanyahu stated, “We stopped that. We sent some F-16s to some Iranian planes that were making some routes to Damascus. They turned back.” While he did not offer further operational details, his comments highlight Israel’s proactive military stance against Iranian expansion efforts in the region.

Netanyahu’s remarks reflect Israel’s longstanding policy of preventing Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which Israeli officials view as a major threat to regional stability and to Israel’s security. Over the years, Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes inside Syria targeting Iranian assets, weapons shipments, and Hezbollah positions.

The interception of Iranian aircraft underscores the high-stakes nature of the conflict and Israel’s commitment to counteracting Iranian influence near its borders. Netanyahu’s disclosure also signals that Israel was not only acting against weapons smuggling and militia deployments but was prepared to directly confront Iranian attempts to alter the outcome of the Syrian civil war.

With Assad’s fall to insurgents marking a pivotal shift in the Middle East, Netanyahu’s revelation offers a rare insight into how close the region came to witnessing even deeper Iranian military involvement, and how Israel acted decisively to stop it.