A commander in one of Iran’s volunteer military units said that the world will know when the conflict in Syria ends — it will be marked by the fall of Israel.
“The end of [chaos in] Syria will lead to the collapse of the Zionist regime,” said Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, who commands Iran’s Basij force, according to the Fars News Agency.
He also spoke of the civil unrest in Turkey — the four weeks of protests that started over a rally against a park development and escalated into violent clashes with police about the government — and said the United States was largely to blame. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan should never have worked so closely with Washington, D.C., and other Western allies, he said.
“What is happening in Turkey is a lesson for those who say that we should turn to the West,” he said. “Today, the Turkish government has reached a point that the streets in Turkey are the scene of conflicts every day due to the propaganda of the western media, and [Erdogan] is complaining about BBC and CNN. This is the result of interaction with the U.S.”
The anti-government protests have spread to nearly 80 cities in Turkey. Fars reported that six of the dozens who were injured are in critical condition, and 11 have lost their eyesight during clashes with police.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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