Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss the Middle East with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet in the Russian resort of Sochi next week, his office said on Saturday.
Israel is concerned Iran is trying to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria, accusing it of, among other things, building a missile factory in Syria. Netanyahu said in a speech last week that Israel was watching developments and would act against any threat.
Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehran’s steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shia Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah.
Netanyahu to meet with Russia's Putin this week in Sochi https://t.co/zDPS03y35u #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/tPgkTjXWZi
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) August 19, 2017
Netanyahu has said that Israel has carried out dozens of strikes to prevent weapons-smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah via Syria.
Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
