World Jewish News
Netanyahu and Putin discuss Syria
18.10.2017, Israel and the World Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday afternoon to discuss the situation in Syria.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin, the two leaders discussed the parameters of a settlement in Syria, the Iranian nuclear programme, as well as the results of the recent Kurdish independence referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
They also discussed Russian-Israeli cooperation agreements reached during Netanyahu’s meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on August 23.
Earlier Wednesday, the London-based Arabic daily ASharq Al-Awsat reported that Russia has agreed to expand a buffer zone where Hezbollah and Iranian forces will not be allowed to enter from five kilometers from the Israeli-Syrian border to 15.
The conversation follows a meeting Tuesday between Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Netanyahu told Shoigu that Israel will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria, and warned that if the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers is not changed, Tehran will obtain a nuclear arsenal in eight-to-ten years.
Shortly before Netanyahu’s call to Putin, Iranian Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said during a visit to Damascus that It is “unacceptable that the Zionist regime enter [Syrian airspace] and violate Syria whenever it pleases.”
Bagheri was referring to an Israeli airstrike east of Damascus Monday, targeting and destroying a Syrian air-defense missile battery. The strike, just hours before Shoigu arrived in Israel, followed an attempt to target Israeli jets flying a routine reconnaissance mission over Lebanon
EJP
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