Netanyahu rails against an Iranian military presence in Syria

Ahead of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi Wednesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke out against Iran’s “accelerated attempt to establish a military presence in Syria.” This aggressiveness has not lessened, he said, in the wake of the nuclear agreement.
Russian ambassador to Israel Alexander Petrovich Shain told a TV interviewer Tuesday night,  “Russia always takes Israel’s security interests into account when conducting its operation against terror in Syria and tries to bring peace.”

Asked about Iran’s presence, the ambassador said, “We have agreed that no foreign forces will remain in Syria, including the Iranian army. At this stage it is necessary to support the peace process, the current government and the struggle against terror.” It would be best for Israel’s interests, he said, for Assad to stay in power, because “most of the opposition are Islamists who say openly that they would declare war on Israel, if they came to power.”