Netanyahu to meet Putin, demand no Iranian presence in Syria

World
Europe

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he will travel to Moscow later this week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Iran's presence in Syria.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel "will not tolerate a military establishment of Iran and its proxies in any area of Syria."

He said that he will also "demand that Syria, as well as the Syrian army, strictly observe the disengagement agreement," referring to the cease-fire agreement signed between Israel and Syria in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

Israeli soldiers look at the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel, July 7, 2018. /VCG Photo

Netanyahu's one-day trip to Moscow is part of the security coordination between Israel and Russia over their actions in Syria. "We meet from time to time to ensure security coordination and of course discuss developments in the region," Netanyahu said.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in Moscow in May. Netanyahu recently said that during their talks, the Russian leader agreed that Iran should not hold military bases in Syria.

Israel officially says it is not part of the war in Syria but it has carried out several deadly airstrikes there, claiming the attacks were aimed to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria or to halt weapon convoys to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militia.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency