Netanyahu, US envoy to Syria discuss ‘shared interest’

Netanyahu and Jeffrey met to discuss the latest developments in Syria and Iran’s aggression in the region. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday met with US Special Representative for Syrian Affairs James Jeffrey.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, they discussed “the situation in Syria and the joint effort to stop Iran’s terror and aggression.”

Iran has lent broad military and economic support to Assad throughout the seven-year civil war and is working to establish itself militarily in the country.

Israel considers Iran’s military presence in Syria a red line and has struck numerous military sites and advanced weaponry in Syria in recent years.

Jeffrey is traveling to Israel, Jordan, and Turkey, accompanied by Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn.

Jeffrey “looks forward to meeting with key allies and partners on his first official trip abroad as Special Representative,” the State Department said Friday.

In Israel, Jeffrey will “meet with senior government officials to discuss our shared interest, in reference to Syria, in maintaining Israel’s security while countering Iran’s destabilizing activity throughout the region,” the statement said. “They will also underscore that the United States will respond to any chemical weapons attack perpetrated by the Syrian regime.”

The US fears that the Syrian military offensive in Idlib against the last rebel pocket “will escalate the crisis in Syria and the region, risk the lives of humanitarians and Syrian civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure,” the State Department said.

The United Nations has expressed fear that chemical weapons will be deployed against the rebels, as they have been in the past.