Israel prepared to defend itself against chemical attack - Netanyahu

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is prepared to defend itself should Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons and anti-aircraft weapons fall into the wrong hands.

"The main arms of concern to us are the arms that are already in Syria - these are anti-aircraft weapons, these are chemical weapons and other very, very dangerous weapons that could be game changers," he said in an interview with the BBC, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu warned these weapons could change the balance of power in the Middle East, and stressed that it is not just in Israel's interest to stop these weapons from getting into the wrong hands, it's other countries' interest.

Despite this, Netanyahu echoed past statements that Israel doesn't seek to interfere in the Syrian civil war. "We are prepared to defend ourselves if the need arises and I think people know that what I say is both measured and serious," he said.

The Prime Minister was in London on Wednesday, April 17 to attend the funeral of former British PM Margaret Thatcher.