Israel Defense Forces: Iran scaling back terror activity in light of coronavirus

The Israel Defense Forces indicated Monday its primary foe in the region, Iran, was curbing its activities as it grapples with a major outbreak of the coronavirus.

IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman told reporters that the military noted a decrease in the amount of activity in the region by Israel’s enemies, without specifically naming Iran.

“There are countries who have gotten it way worse than us with this corona[virus] story, and as a result their activities are at a slower pace,” Zilberman said.

Iran is among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, with hundreds of people reported killed, including a senior cleric on Monday, and at least another 14,000 people infected with the disease.

The real numbers may be even higher, as some have questioned the government’s reporting.

Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, Revolutionary Guard members and Health Ministry officials have been infected, compounding fears about Iran’s response to the global pandemic, which has infected nearly 170,000 people worldwide and killed more than 6,500.

Iran is widely considered Israel’s main enemy in the region, controlling and funding terror groups across the Middle East, notably the powerful Hezbollah terrorist militia in Lebanon.

In recent years, Tehran has worked to establish a permanent military presence to Israel’s north in Syria, both for its own forces and for proxy militias. Israel has stated that it will not tolerate this effort and has launched hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in Syria.

Source: TOI