JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Syria must be "stripped" of its chemical arsenal as a warning to Iran that the international community won't accept Tehran's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction.
The Israeli leader spoke following a three-hour meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jerusalem focused on the joint U.S.-Russian deal announced Saturday in Geneva to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons.
The agreement, which requires Syria to make a full declaration of its arsenal by Friday and then to permit a speedy series of international inspections and the destruction of the arsenal, has allowed President Barack Obama to indefinitely delay planned U.S. military strikes.
Mr. Kerry, after meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Israel, was due to travel to Paris for meetings with French, British and Saudi officials.
Mr. Netanyahu said he supported the initiative as a crucial step to securing Israel. But he also stressed that Syria must be disarmed as an example to Tehran that the West won't accede to Iran developing nuclear weapons.
"The Syrian regime must be stripped of all its chemical weapons," Mr. Netanyahu said at a joint press appearance with Mr. Kerry. "This will make our region much safer."
He added: "If a rogue regime has weapons of mass destruction, it will use them...What is true of Syria is true of Iran, and vice versa."
Mr. Kerry also struck a tough line in Israel, stressing that American military strikes on Syria remain a real possibility if President Bashar al-Assad doesn't respond to the American and Russian diplomacy.
"The threat of force remains. The threat of force is real," Mr. Kerry said. "This affects other issues, whether Iran or North Korea."
Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Write to Jay Solomon at [email protected]
The Israeli leader spoke following a three-hour meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jerusalem focused on the joint U.S.-Russian deal announced Saturday in Geneva to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons.
The agreement, which requires Syria to make a full declaration of its arsenal by Friday and then to permit a speedy series of international inspections and the destruction of the arsenal, has allowed President Barack Obama to indefinitely delay planned U.S. military strikes.
Mr. Kerry, after meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Israel, was due to travel to Paris for meetings with French, British and Saudi officials.
Mr. Netanyahu said he supported the initiative as a crucial step to securing Israel. But he also stressed that Syria must be disarmed as an example to Tehran that the West won't accede to Iran developing nuclear weapons.
"The Syrian regime must be stripped of all its chemical weapons," Mr. Netanyahu said at a joint press appearance with Mr. Kerry. "This will make our region much safer."
He added: "If a rogue regime has weapons of mass destruction, it will use them...What is true of Syria is true of Iran, and vice versa."
Mr. Kerry also struck a tough line in Israel, stressing that American military strikes on Syria remain a real possibility if President Bashar al-Assad doesn't respond to the American and Russian diplomacy.
"The threat of force remains. The threat of force is real," Mr. Kerry said. "This affects other issues, whether Iran or North Korea."
Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Write to Jay Solomon at [email protected]