Israel and Russia are working out the arrangements on Israel’s border with Syria, with the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement serving as the model.
By: World Israel News Staff
Israel and Russia are reportedly working out the arrangements on Israel’s border with Syria ahead of the Assad regime’s reassertion of control of southern Syria.
The 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement is serving as the model.
Israel Radio reported Wednesday that in addition to talks between the two countries’ leaders, mutual work groups have been studying issues such as no-man’s land, demilitarized zones and the deployment of Israeli and Syrian forces on both sides of the border.
Citing a Russian diplomat, the report said that Israel and Syria have agreed to return to the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement drawn up in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel’s demand is that “Syria, and the Syrian military, strictly uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.”
The Russian diplomat also reportedly claimed that there were no Iranian forces embedded with the Russian army in the south, a threat Israel is concerned about.
Israel has repeatedly underscored that it will not tolerate the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies anywhere in Syria. The IDF has carried out extensive strikes against Iranian targets in Syria in an attempt to stymie its military buildup.
Russia has reportedly agreed that Iranian troops should not be on Israel’s border but has rejected a demand to have them completely removed from the country.
The distance at which the Iranians should stay away from Israel is under discussion. Israel demands that the Iranians be at least 40 kilometers (24 miles) away.