JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reassured Syria on Thursday that Israel sought peace after his fiery foreign minister threatened to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in any future war. Avigdor Lieberman's remarks clashed with Netanyahu's often-repeated call for Assad to negotiate peace with Israel and prompted the Israeli leader to discuss what a spokesman termed "the Syrian issue" with the ultranationalist cabinet member. "Both men clarified that government policy is clear: Israel seeks peace and negotiations with Syria, without preconditions," a Netanyahu spokesman said. "At the same time, Israel will continue to act with determination and decisiveness." Assad accused Israel on Wednesday of pushing for war, drawing an angry response from Lieberman. "Our message must be clear to Assad. You will not just lose the next war, you and your family will lose power. Neither you nor the Assad family will remain in power," Lieberman said. Lieberman, known for his tough rhetoric, said that Assad had "crossed a red line". Some lawmakers urged Netanyahu to dismiss him for threatening Syria, a northern enemy that has talked peace with Israel in the past. Despite a spike in war talk in recent days, there have been no signs that military tensions have risen between Israel and Syria. But in a bid to minimise the fallout from Lieberman's remarks, the prime minister's office issued a statement saying Netanyahu told his cabinet secretary to phone ministers and "ask them to avoid speaking in the media about Syria". Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak told members of his Labour party that instead of "exchanging verbal blows", Israel and Syria should "sit together and talk through our envoys." Assad had spoken out after Barak, sounding a cautionary note, said earlier this week that "the absence of an agreement with Syria could lead to armed conflict that could develop into all-out war". Indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel, mediated by Turkey, broke down during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in December 2008. Barak, as prime minister, held peace talks with Syria in 2000 that faltered over the future of the Golan Heights, a strategic Syrian plateau captured by Israel in a 1967 war. As defence chief, he has been pushing for new negotiations.
