Netanyahu urges Putin to help prevent Iranian military front in Syria

Netanyahu told Putin on Thursday there is an attempt today by “Persia’s heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews” and that an open-ended Iranian presence in Syria is a major security concern for Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed Israel’s interests in preventing an Iranian front against Israel in Syria, during his meeting in Moscow on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I made it clear that Israel has no objection to a (peace) agreement in Syria, but we are firmly opposed to such an agreement in which Iran and its proxies will be left with a military presence in Syria,” said Netanyahu after his meeting with Putin.

The prime minister explained that he scheduled his meeting with Putin on Thursday in order to clarify Israel’s security concerns regarding Iranian attempts to build an open-ended military presence in Syria against the backdrop of peace talks in Kazakhstan.

“We see Iran trying to build a military force, a military infrastructure, with the intention to be based in Syria, including the attempt by Iran to build a seaport,” explained Netanyahu. “All this has serious implications in terms of the security of Israel.”

Earlier in his meeting, Netanyahu conveyed what he felt to be the threat of radical Shi’ite Islam, led by Iran, to the rest of the world at large.

“The threat of radical Shi’ite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort,” Netanyahu said, while affirming Russia’s fight against radical Sunni Islamic factions in Syria that have been attempting to topple the Syrian government since 2011.

Netanyahu informed his cabinet on Sunday of his intention to seek Putin’s cooperation in preventing the opening of a new Iranian front against Israel from Syria.

While thanking Putin for his greetings for the upcoming Purim holiday, which marks the Jewish people’s victory against Haman, an enemy official in the Persian empire some 2,500 years ago who sought to destroy the Jewish people, Netanyahu noted the regime in modern-day Persia intends to have the Jewish state annihilated.

“Today there is an attempt by Persia’s heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews,” Netanyahu added. “They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles.”

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

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