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Rising Pressure to Force Iran Out of Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman waves during a Knesset, or parliament, session in which he was sworn in on May 30, 2016, in Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana / AFP
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman waves during a Knesset, or parliament, session in which he was sworn in on May 30, 2016, in Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana / AFP
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Rising Pressure to Force Iran Out of Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman waves during a Knesset, or parliament, session in which he was sworn in on May 30, 2016, in Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana / AFP
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman waves during a Knesset, or parliament, session in which he was sworn in on May 30, 2016, in Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana / AFP

Iran has come under direct and indirect pressure to withdraw its fighters and factions belonging to the commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, from Syria.

“I have a message for Assad: Get rid of the Iranians, get rid of Qassem Soleimani and the Quds force, they are not helping you, they are only causing damage,” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was quoted as saying during a visit to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday.

Lieberman hinted that the Israeli army would not stop attacking military positions and airports in Syria unless Iran gets out of the country.

"Their presence will only cause problems and damages. Get rid of the Iranians and we can, perhaps, change our mode of life here," he said.

His remarks came as a military official hoped that Tehran was taught a lesson and therefore, would not participate in any military escalation against Israel.

However, the official said the military and political leaderships in Israel believe there are no absolute guarantees that Iran would get the message.

Meanwhile, Russia on Friday sent a message of reassurance to Israel as part of its efforts to contain the current military escalation between Tel Aviv and Tehran.

Vladimir Kozhin, a top aide to President Vladimir Putin, said his country was not in talks with the Syrian regime about supplying advanced S-300 ground-to-air missiles and does not think they are needed.

“For now, we’re not talking about any deliveries of new modern (air defense) systems,” Kozhin was cited by Russian newspaper Izvestia as saying when asked about the possibility of supplying Syria with S-300s.

The Russian decision has angered the Syrian regime and its allies.

On Thursday, Israel accused Iran of firing missiles from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Tel Aviv responded with its heaviest air strikes, saying it attacked most of Iran's military infrastructure in the country.

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South Korea's Opposition Party Vows to Impeach Acting President

FILED - 04 November 2022, South Korea, Seoul: South Korean Prime Minister Duck-Soo Han meets with representatives of the South Korean and German business communities at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
FILED - 04 November 2022, South Korea, Seoul: South Korean Prime Minister Duck-Soo Han meets with representatives of the South Korean and German business communities at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
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South Korea's Opposition Party Vows to Impeach Acting President

FILED - 04 November 2022, South Korea, Seoul: South Korean Prime Minister Duck-Soo Han meets with representatives of the South Korean and German business communities at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
FILED - 04 November 2022, South Korea, Seoul: South Korean Prime Minister Duck-Soo Han meets with representatives of the South Korean and German business communities at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

South Korea’s main liberal opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo, as Seoul grapples with the turmoil set off when impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol made a short-lived declaration of martial law.
The country’s political parties are now tussling over how to run investigations into that decision, as well as separate allegations against Yoon's wife, The Associated Press reported.
The opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, wants independent investigators, and gave Han until Tuesday to approve bills appointing them.
Impeaching Han would further deepen political chaos and worries by neighboring countries. Han, the country’s No. 2 official, has taken over the president's powers since Yoon’s impeachment. If he’s impeached too, the finance minister is next in line.
The Democratic Party has slammed Han for vetoing several opposition-sponsored bills, including a controversial agriculture bill. It also urged Han to quickly appoint justices to vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing Yoon’s impeachment and will determine whether to dismiss or reinstate him.
Filling the Constitutional Court’s three empty posts could make conviction more likely, as it requires the support of six of the court’s possible full nine members.
The Democratic Party demanded that Han approve bills calling for special prosecutors to investigate Yoon for rebellion over his marital law decree, and his wife for corruption and other allegations, by Tuesday.
Han didn’t put the bills on the agendas for Tuesday’s Cabinet Council meeting, calling for the ruling and opposition parties to negotiate more.
Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae responded that there's no room for negotiations about a Yoon investigation, and that his party would begin steps toward an impeachment at once.
“We’ve clearly warned that it’s totally up to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo whether he would go down in history as a disgraceful figure as a puppet of rebellion plot leader Yoon Suk Yeol or a public servant that has faithfully carried out the orders by the public,” Park told a televised party meeting.
South Korean prosecutors and other officials are separately probing whether Yoon committed rebellion and abuse of power, but he’s ignored requests by investigative agencies to appear for questioning and allow searches of his office.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other senior military commanders have already been arrested over the deployment of troops and police officers to the National Assembly, which prompted a dramatic standoff that ended when lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and voted unanimously to overrule Yoon's decree.
The governing People Power Party said that the opposition's impeachment threats are interfering with Han’s “legitimate exercise of authority." Floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, said the Democratic Party’s “politics of intimidation have reached their peak.”
An impeachment vote would face legal ambiguities. Most South Korean officials can be impeached with a simple majority of parliament, but impeaching the presidents takes two-thirds. The rival parties differ on which standard would apply to an acting president.
The Democratic Party controls 170 of the National Assembly's 300 seats, so it would need support from members of other parties including Yoon's own to get a two-thirds majority.
The Constitutional Court has up to six months to determine Yoon's fate. If he's thrown of office, a national election to find his successor must take place within two months.