Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman concluded a meeting yesterday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, after which the top Israeli defense official voiced appreciation of “Russia’s understanding of (Israel’s) security needs.” Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister’s Bureau released a statement, in which it noted that the two leaders “discussed regional developments and the Iranian presence in Syria,” that after Netanyahu declared a day earlier that Israel “will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons,” and “will continue to act against its intention to establish a military presence in Syria adjacent to (Israel), not just opposite to the Golan Heights, but anywhere in Syria.”
Meanwhile, Reports of an understanding reached between Jerusalem and Moscow seem to impact the situation on the ground. Syrian opposition officials from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Iranian troops and Hezbollah militiamen were preparing to withdraw from Dara’a and Quneitra, which are located on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. It remains unclear, however, where the Iranian troops will redeploy, and how far from the border. That said, a Syrian official, working in coordination with the Iranians, denied the report as “deceitful.”