Israeli premier is to meet Russian leader for talks on Iran’s Syria role

Israel’s Arutz Sheva media network cited Benjamin Netanyahu as saying earlier in the day that he planned to visit Moscow next Thursday.
 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was going to meet with Netanyahu on March 9, and with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 10. “The meetings are being planned,” he said.
 
At the request of Damascus, Iran has been providing advisory assistance to the Syrian army in its battles against a host of foreign-backed Takfiri militant groups wreaking havoc on the Arab state.
 
To the dismay of Israel, which is widely viewed as a staunch supporter of anti-Damascus Takfiri groups, Tehran has also been playing an active role in the diplomatic process aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis.
 
Iran, Russia and Turkey mediated two rounds of talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups in the Kazakh capital, Astana, earlier this year, paving the way for the resumption of UN-led negotiations between warring sides in Syria on the crisis.
 
Israel wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ousted. It has been offering medical treatment to terrorists fighting Syrian soldiers in Israeli-occupied part of Golan Heights, claiming that it renders such services in areas “under its control.”
 
It has repeatedly attacked Syrian military targets in what is viewed as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups in the face of Syrian army advances.
 
Late last month, Israel’s Channel 2 said the regime had sent its troops on repeated spying missions to a village located half a kilometer inside Syria’s territory. The Israeli military has also deployed intelligence-gathering equipment in the Golan Heights to record movements by the Syrian military and foreign-backed militants.
 
According to the Arutz Sheva report, Netanyahu accused Tehran in his Sunday remarks of trying to “open a front” with Israel in Golan and warned Tel Aviv could launch a preemptive strike.
 
“On Thursday, I will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. One of the most important issues we will discuss is Iran's attempt to make an agreement with Syria. With or without Syria's agreement, Iran will attempt to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, both on land and at sea,” Netanyahu claimed.
 
The Israeli premier recently traveled to the UK, the US, and Australia with an anti-Iran agenda.
 
 The regime has been seeking to take utmost advantage of US President Donald Trump’s antagonism towards Iran and his steadfast support for the regime in Tel Aviv.