Vladimir Putin
In Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Iran’s activates in Syria.
Analysts say they want regional stability despite their different goals.
In a phone call between the two leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s interest in preventing Iran from establishing a presence in Syria.
It is a low-profile conflict, mostly fought away from the headlines, in which Israel is playing an active defense against Iran’s offensive attempt to set up a war outpost in Syria.
“The fact of the matter is Putin favors Shia forces in the region, no matter how much he presents himself as a neutral broker,” said Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“We are acting against a complex scheme Iran and Russia have used to bolster the [Bashar] Assad regime and generate funds for Iranian malign activity,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the “conversation was very good and to the point; I would say it was very important.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while sitting at the top table with heads of European states in Paris, he made it clear how important it is for them to connect and have strong ties with Israel—in the political, economic, technological and security arenas.
The development comes ahead of an upcoming visit to Geneva by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, who will meet with senior Russian officials, focusing on issues related to Iran and Syria.
Israel has raised alarms over Iran and its Shi’ite terror proxies establishing a permanent presence in post-war Syria, especially along the demilitarized Israeli-Syrian border.
“It is clear that our focus is on Syria and Iran. Our view that Iran needs to leave Syria is well-known; it is not new to you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ultimately, the United States will decide. Multiple bills are being debated in Congress designed to challenge and block the sale.
