Haim Horenstein / Reuters
The Russian state-run news agency TASS reports (source):
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated he will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov in order to discuss issues concerning the Syrian conflict.
“Today, I will meet with a Russian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov in accordance with an agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom I held a telephone conversation a few days ago,” Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. He added that the parties would discuss regional issues, first and foremost, the situation in Syria.
According to Netanyahu, Israel insists that the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement with Syria be respected the way it was before the civil war in Syria broke out. Israel will continue to act against any attempts by Iran and its satellites aimed at establishing military presence in Syria, Netanyahu stressed.
The Russian president and the Israeli prime minister held a meeting in Moscow on July 11, which the Israeli prime minister described as “very important.” Netanyahu told Putin that Israel strongly opposed Iran’s presence in Syria. At the same time, he said that Israeli-Russian talks provided an opportunity to enhance security and the level of trust in the Middle East.
On July 17, US President Donald Trump said at a meeting with lawmakers that the US, Russia and Israel had launched trilateral talks regarding the Syria issue and Israel’s security.
