Special to WorldTribune.com

The director-general of Israel’s foreign ministry, in an unprecedented interview granted to a Saudi news outlet, commented on Iran’s fomenting of “anarchy” in the Middle East, red lines in Syria and common interests with Arab states.

In the interview with Saudi-owned Elaph online newspaper, Dore Gold said Iran is attempting to gain a foothold in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip in order to “threaten Israel from the south, north and east.”

Gold added that Teheran is looking to gain similar footholds in Yemen, Bahrain and Kuwait, and is seeking to expand its influence in Iraq through the use of Shi’ite militias.

Iran is “trying to foment anarchy and destruction in order to present itself as a body to solve crises,” Gold said.

While Israel has mostly stayed out of the conflict in Syria, Gore said there are “red lines that could not be crossed,” such as the transfer of Russian missiles from warehouses in Syria to Iran-backed terror proxy Hizbullah.

Gold said that Israeli-Egyptian relations have become stronger in recent years and that common interests between the two countries were greater than their differences.

On common interests between Israel and Arab states, Gold said that “history teaches that when Israel signs a peace treaty with the Arabs, Israel honors the treaty forever.”

  Dore Gold, Elaph, Israel’s foreign minister grants interview to Saudi news site, WorldTribune.com