ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back at claims that air strikes on Syria, Lebanon and Iraq last week were a “declaration of war” by insisting Tel Aviv will defend itself “by any means necessary.”

Mr Netanyahu — who faces an election next month — has been warned by all three countries that Israeli drone attacks will not be tolerated any longer.

Israel took the unusual measure of admitting to Saturday’s missile attack in Syria. It claimed to have targeted several sites in Damascus  with “killer drones” to stop a supposed Iranian attack.

Tel Aviv does not usually comment on military operations. But earlier this year it also admitted to having conducted hundreds of bombing raids on Syria that, it claims, targeted Iranian military outposts.

Syrian civilians have been killed in the air strikes and infrastructure destroyed. Critics warn the attacks are in breach of international law.

But in a statement broadcast on state TV, Mr Netanyahu said: “Iran is working on several fronts to carry out deadly attacks against the state of Israel. Israel will continue to defend its security by all means necessary.”

Israeli regional aggression is backed by Washington, with US Vice-President Mike Pence insisting that the US “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself from imminent threats.”

On Sunday two Israeli drones crashed near Hezbollah’s headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut.The Shia resistance group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to shoot down any drones that encroached into Lebanese territory. 

On Monday Lebanese President Michel Aoun insisted that Lebanon had a right to defend itself, warning the attacks amounted to a “declaration of war.”

“We are a people seeking peace, not war, and we don’t accept anyone threatening us in any war,” he said.

A similar attack on Iraq close to its border with Syria was branded an “attack on Iraqi sovereignty” by President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.