Netanyahu says Israel stopped Iranian aircraft from reaching Syria in the days leading up to fall of Assad

Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country’s embattled president at the time, Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.

The remarks in a speech give a new glimpse into Israel’s thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by Islamist-led insurgents last December.

Speaking to a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, Netanyahu claims that arch-rival Iran wanted to save Assad after watching the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group in neighboring Lebanon suffer heavy losses in fighting with Israel.

“They had to rescue Assad,” Netanyahu says, claiming that Iran wanted to send “one or two airborne divisions” to help the Syrian leader.

“We stopped that. We sent some F-16s to some Iranian planes that were making some routes to Damascus,” he says. “They turned back.”

He gives no further details.