In unusual praise, Arab social media users laud Israel for ‘putting Iran in its place’

Dismissing criticism of Israel over reported strike on air base in Syria, ordinary Arabs urge Israel to continue raids on President Assad’s arsenals, Iranian assets • “Luckily for Arabs, Israel is unwilling to accept Iranian control in Syria,” man writes.

By Daniel Siryoti, ISRAEL HAYOM

Arab social media users on Monday lauded Israel following a reported airstrike on a Syrian air base that killed 14 people, including Iranian military personnel.

Syria and allies Iran and Russia accused Israel of bombing the T4 airbase in Homs – an area that has been targeted by the Israeli Air Force in the past – but no official Israeli source has corroborated the reports.

In stark contrast to the condemnations and warnings against Israel by officials in Syria, Russia and Iran, many ordinary Arabs used social media to urge Israel to continue bombing Syrian-Iranian weapons positions across the war-torn country.

After learning of Saturday night’s suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma and seeing the shocking images of the victims, many of whom were children, many in the Arab world took to Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms to encourage Israel to continue raiding Syrian President Bashar Assad’s arsenals.

“We must tell the truth, Israel is the only state that punishes Assad for the massacres he carries out,” Khadr Abu al-Heij, a Palestinian living in Sweden, wrote on Al-Jazeera’s popular comments portal.

“This is a shameful embarrassment for the Arab states. While Arab leaders just talk and say how horrible the massacre in Syria is, Israel keeps quiet and acts. Arabs, Syrians, Lebanese – who is the real enemy of the Arabs? Israel, or Iran that conquered Syria unopposed?” he wrote.

Egyptian Ismail bin Ismail also called on Israel to continue striking Syria, writing, “It turns out Israel not only has courage but also the brains to inflict losses on Iran in Syria. If there is one state that puts Iran in its place, it is Israel. It is no wonder that Damascus hides behind Russia and Iran. Assad is afraid of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Defense Minister Avigdor] Lieberman.”

Lebanese Bassel al-Hassan wrote that Israel must continue its strikes in Syria, even at the cost of violating Lebanese airspace.

“Media reports say that the Israeli planes attacked from Lebanese territory, so why is Hezbollah quiet? Hezbollah works hand in hand with the Shiites in Iran and betrays its Arab brothers in Syria. Iran and Syria, with the assistance of Hezbollah and Shiite militias, conquered Syria by massacring the Sunni population and we, the Arabs, keep quiet,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Thankfully, Israel is there to avenge the blood of our brothers. Luckily for the Arabs, Israel is unwilling to accept Iranian control in Syria. If it wasn’t in Israel’s interest, no Arab country would have stopped Iran. Where are the Arab leaders? They abandoned their people, just as they abandoned the Palestinians.”