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 Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

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

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

�They had to rescue Assad,� Netanyahu said, explaining 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 said. �They turned back.�

He gave no further details.

(AP & YWN Israel Desk � Jerusalem)