Netanyahu to meet Putin to complain of Iran’s Syria agenda

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to voice opposition to what he alleged were Iran’s attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.

Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him.

Russia, also Al Assad’s ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria’s future. In Geneva on Friday, the first UN-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough.

The Israeli regime has repeatedly pointed to Tehran’s steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shiite proxies, especially Hezbollah.