Welcoming Russian security secretary, Netanyahu vows to prevent Iran from entrenching Israel’s border

As U.S.-Israeli-Russian meeting convenes in Jerusalem, Netanyahu says “We will do everything to prevent it [Iran] from attaining nuclear weapons.”

By World Israel News Staff 

Welcoming Russia’s National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev to Jerusalem for a three-way security meeting with the U.S., Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday that “Israel will not allow Iran, which calls for our destruction, to entrench on our border.”

The tripartite encounter is taking place with the participation of Patrushev, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, and their Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat.

At the center of the agenda is Iran’s presence in Syria. In addition, recently stepped-up tensions between Tehran and Washington have made the security summit “even more timely,” Bolton said on Sunday.

“We will do everything to prevent it [Iran] from attaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu repeated Tuesday.

“Our joint goal is to advance substantive dialogue together with the U.S. in order to deal with the complex security challenges of our region while expressing commitment to Israel’s security,” the prime minister said of the objective of the American-Russian-Israeli meeting, which has been touted as unprecedented.

As Israel has acted against Iranian entrenchment in Syria, it has coordinated frequently with Russia, which is a key player in the war-torn country. The U.S. has been consulting with Israel over a pullout of American troops from Syria.

“I would like to state as clearly as possible that cooperation on the security level between Russia and Israel has already contributed greatly to security and stability in our region and has led to substantial change in the situation in the region,” Netanyahu said upon greeting the Russian national security secretary.

“I hope that this trilateral dialogue will assist in expanding stability and security in the region,” the prime minister added.