Following the unveiling of “The Golan File”, US Republican leaders Cruz, Cotton and Gallagher called for adoption of recently submitted legislation; Netanyahu: We will continue to use all means, overt and covert, to block Iran’s effort to use Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as forward-bases for attacking Israel.

US Republican lawmakers again called on the United States Congress to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights following the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unveiling of an Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror network close to the border with Israel in Syria. 

It is a second effort made this year by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher. The lawmakers released a statement on Wednesday calling on the US Congress to adopt their draft bill submitted last month. It reads “Iran and Hezbollah have deployed fighters and terrorists, including those with American blood on their hands, to deepen their hold over the region. This aggression highlights the need for the United States to affirm Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” in reference to the notorious terrorist who is head of the terror network, Ali Musa Daqduq. He was responsible for the murder of five US Army servicemen in Iraq in 2007.

The statement continued, “Hezbollah’s missile arsenal and terror tunnels pose severe threats to the State of Israel. To support Israel’s right to self-defense, both houses of Congress should take up our legislation establishing that it shall be the policy of the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan.”

The legislation submitted to the US Senate and House of Representatives in February calls on the United States to officially recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, and remove any reference to occupied territories. While the bill has not yet passed, in a recent report published by the US State Department called “Israel and the Golan Heights 2018 Human Rights Report,” the Golan Heights is not referred to as occupied territory for the first time. 

The IDF revealed “The Golan Files” terror mission on Israel’s border on Wednesday. Hezbollah has been organizing an advanced terror network in Syria, including recruitment of locals, stockpiling of arms and building of covert military bases. It warned that the Syrian regime would be held accountable for any threats to Israel’s security. 

Also on Wednesday, an Israeli intelligence firm, ImageSat International (ISI), released satellite images of a new Iranian missile factory being constructed in Syria. It reported, “The construction patterns, the compound location and the activity signs at the compound and its region, increase the probability that this is a missile manufacturing site.” They also reported that the site is similar to the infrastructure of the Iranian Khojir missile factory that produces domestic surface-to-surface missiles.

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the latest Hezbollah efforts in Syria during a televised address on Wednesday evening. He stated, “This morning Israel exposed a Hezbollah terror network on the Golan Heights. Hezbollah is a terror organization. It’s a proxy of Iran. It does Iran’s bidding and this terror network is part of Iran’s aggression against Israel.”

He warned both the terrorist organization and the Islamic Republic, “I have a clear message for Iran and for Hezbollah: Israel knows what you’re doing; Israel knows where you’re doing it. What we’ve uncovered today is just the tip of the iceberg. We know a lot more.” He added, “Israel will continue to do all that’s necessary to defend itself. We will continue to use all means, overt and covert, to block Iran’s effort to use Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as forward-bases for attacking Israel.”

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