Israel’s defence minister signalled on Monday it could attack suspected Iranian military assets in Iraq, as it has done by carrying out scores of air strikes in civil war-torn Syria.

“We are certainly monitoring everything that is happening in Syria, and regarding Iranian threats we are not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory. This also needs to be clear,” Avigdor Lieberman told a conference in Jerusalem.

Why does the Israeli prime minister keep insisting on confrontation with Iran? Here’s a look at the international, regional and domestic dynamics at play.

Asked if this included Iraq, where sources told Reuters that Iran has given ballistic missiles to Shi’ite proxies, Lieberman responded: “I am saying that we will contend with any Iranian threat, and it doesn’t matter from where it comes … Israel’s freedom is total. We retain this freedom of action.”