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Netanyahu to visit Moscow as Iran declares successful missile system test
Israel’s Prime Minister will visit Moscow on Thursday, where he is set to caution Russian leaders on the threat of Iran gaining a sustainable foothold in Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet yesterday that he will travel to Moscow and meet Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Netanyahu said that with or without a peace agreement, “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”.
He added: “I will express to President Putin Israel’s vigorous opposition to this possibility… I hope that we can reach specific understandings in order to decrease possible friction between our forces and theirs, as we did successfully until now.”
Iranian forces and proxy Shi’ite military groups such as Hezbollah have fought alongside the Syrian army, which is also staunchly supported by Russian forces. During previous meetings, Netanyahu and Putin agreed to implement a high-level chain of communication to coordinate their respective military operations in Syria. Israel has periodically carried out air strikes to prevent the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog travelled to Moscow yesterday and is expected to meet Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Herzog said he will “aggressively seek to prevent weaponry given [by Russia] to Syria from reaching the hands of Hezbollah”.
Over the weekend, Iran claimed to have successfully tested the advanced Russian-made S-300 anti-missile system for the first time. The system reportedly identified and intercepted two targets.
Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Iranian army’s air defence force, said: “The S-300 system hit the ballistic missile.”
Israel has previously raised concerns with Moscow over the sale of the S-300 system to Iran. There are fears that the advanced system could provide protection for future uranium enrichment at Iranian facilities, shielding them from any potential attack.