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| REUTERS photo |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 9 to voice opposition to what the Israeli leader charged were Iranโs attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.
โIn the framework of a [future peace agreement] or without one, Iran is attempting to base itself permanently in Syria – either through a military presence on the ground or a naval presence – and also through a gradual attempt to open a front against us on the Golan Heights,โ Netanyahu told his cabinet in public remarks on March 5.
โI will express to President Putin Israelโs vigorous opposition to this possibility,โ he said.
Iran has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assadโs staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him.
Russia, also Assadโs ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syriaโs future. In Geneva on March 3, the first U.N.-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough. Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehranโs steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shiโite Muslim Hezbollah.
