Putin and Netanyahu focus on Kurdistan crisis after Iran’s successful maneuver in Kirkuk
Gen. Sergey Shoigu had no sooner flown out of Israel on Wednesday, Oct. 18, than Iranian and Syrian army chiefs talked in Damascus, and Netanyahu was on the phone to Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Kremlin press service said in a statement, Wednesday. “There was a thorough discussion of ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and the results of the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan,” the statement read.
DEBKAfile’s sources report that Netanyahu made the call after Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergey Shoigu, during his two days of talks with Israel’s government and military heads, showed no inclination to answer Israel’s questions on those pressing topics.
The Russian general quickly grasped that his visit to Israel was strongly disapproved in Damascus and Tehran and both had taken action to disrupt it – first by shooting an SA-5 missile at Israeli aircraft over Lebanon, and then with the unscheduled trip made by the Iranian Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen Mohammad Bagheri to Damascus for talks with his Syrian counterpart Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub.
Those moves were meant to warn the Russian minister that the Israeli enemy must not be allowed to attack targets in Syria whenever it sees fit, and it was up to him to stand up for Iranian and Syrian interests in his talks in Tel Aviv and not give in to Israeli pressure.
To avoid falling into this trap, the Russian minister told his Israeli hosts that his visit was only intended to make the acquaintance of professional colleagues in Israel and had no political agenda. He is reported to have elegantly dodged Israeli questions, indicating that they should be addressed to the Kremlin.
Netanyahu accordingly picked up the phone to the Kremlin as soon as Gen. Shoigu flew out and held a thorough discussion with President Vladimir Putin, which, say our sources, centered on the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
While the Kremlin statement referred to “the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan” as the theme, the two leaders in fact went over the ramifications of Iran’s great victory in Kirkuk and its impact on Kurdistan.
They both understood that not only the United States, but also Russia and Israel had suffered a grave strategic setback when the pro-Iranian Shiite militias, commanded by the Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani, drove the Kurdish Peshmerga into panicky retreat from a string of Kurdish-ruled towns.
The unforeseen consequence is alarming: Iran has entrenched itself in a key region of Iraq, on top of its military control of the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Moscow, like Israel, has no wish to seen Iran expanding its foothold into Iraq as well as Syria. Russia is especially touchy about Kurdistan’s losses, after making a large investment in the KRG’s oil and gas industries.
DEBKAfile’s exclusive military sources report another event Wednesday which may or may not be relevant to the Kurdistan debacle.
On Tuesday, the Russian command in Syria ordered the Hizballah-led forces which captured the eastern town of Mayadin from the Islamic State to halt its eastward advance towards the Syrian-Iraqi border.
There is no information on the reason for this order, whether it was at Israel’s request or under an Israeli threat to intervene against a further Hizballah advance. Certainly, Putin has an interest in relieving Irbil of pressure before it breaks down.
Israel has discovered in recent months that there is no one in Washington willing or able to discuss crises of this sort, and has therefore turned again to Moscow.
None in the whole world, wants Israel to take control of midle east, then i supouse irán, turkey and syria, will make all of their reach to stop this invasive cáncer. Even, whitout of russia’s agreement. Plus, has been evasive at this respecto.
You write like a pendejo
why did hilary clinton, with the help of robert muellar sell 20% of USA uranium stockpiles to russia. was it just for money ?
Just another piece in Russia’s game to destabilize America.
But why did she sell the uranium to Russia? Was it because she wanted the money to go into the pocket of the Clinton Foundation or because she was duped?
You’re a complete idiot if you even think this is true. The Russians have tapped into your very small and empty brain.
Hilary Clinton needs to be put on trial for treason.
What leads you to believe Israel wants to take control of the Middle East? That seems much more like the boast and aim of Turkey, Iran, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It would seem Israel is significantly more interested in avoiding the disastrous dysfunction which surrounds them. 58 Islamic nations – envious, angry, violent, abusive, blasphemous humans. That is the problem. Not Israel.
This!
so whats new. Another south american anti semite. We already know your point of view, do you have something new to add?
Don’t you cross that wall or I will feed you to the coyotes, malparido
You want Islamo-fascists (and commies) – ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, and all the others to continue killing Muslims and Kurds in their conquest? When did Israel ever want the land of others? Israel wants its own land, legally and historically granted to Israel.
Mex, u a 3rd worlder just lie your cousin the mooslums.
can you please choke yourself eating your own dung
gay people eat dung all the time
it is a known fact that mexico is a cancerous country,the headquarter of trafickers of all types
The quandry is that we invested Billions and would up with less of a Democracy in Iraq than hoped for and now with Iran gaining both a land bridge to the Mediterranean Sea and continued development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear ICBMs which to threaten Israel, United States and next Russia, China, and Europe. Soon these leaders will have to call a halt to both Iranian plans and its ally North Korea.
couldn’t you just invest in antimissile technology?
It’s not worthy spending time to address all those ill conceived blames on Israel. But the situation in Kurdistan as such makes me curious. Why did they give in Shia militias? Just didn’t want to start another front because of some strategic considerations? I hope so. Let’s think what could it be. The most probable explanation seems to be in the US position. The latter might not support Irbil-Baghdad conflagration because of unfinished ISIS business particularly and, generally, because the US support both sides currently and cannot politically take sides in possible new conflict. Furthermore, if the US wouldn’t take sides Kurds may very well be squashed by joint Iraq-Iran-PMU-Hizbollah + quite possibly Turkey military, which is not in the interest of the US at all. Most probably, some red lines were worked out under the blanket so that Baghdad could gain something to safe the face and leave Kurds be then. It is also possible that the US at a fork now: Who to deal with first — Iran or North Korea. I understand that is totally unpredictable, for one, and for two, rendering a blow to one will make the other much more attentive to all International demands. And all that, surely, makes the US political and military thinkers very sensitive to the possibility of another conflict right in the middle of that powder keg. That is, Kurds have to wait till some of the above mentioned knots untied. Maybe, it’s not for long. Let’s see.
Yes, all of a sudden, i notice, the opposition, in Raqqa, has evaporated. Old Raqqa has been eradicated. The whole bird is in the hand. Perhaps later, they will completely erase Iraq too and there will be easier spoils in Kirkuk.
all the problems have one common element: iran. which means that any viable solution has to deal, first and foremost, with the mullahs, and everything else can follow.
The scariest part of this article, for me, was the ending. No one in Washington ‘willing nor able to discuss’ these crises?.. This lack of leadership and far sighted vision is truly frightening.
Trump policy must distinguish itself from Obama policy through action but so far it is all words, tweets and inaction on major events in the world. I judge Trump by his actions not his words. His actions have come up short but he has lots of evil opposition keeping him from acting.
Read Ezekiel chapters 38,39 and Isaiah 17 you will start to see what is happening
Amen Dean, all the puzzle pieces may seem scrambled… But everything is fitting together as told in God’s Word. Even so come Lord Jesus. Blessings friend. Lin a watchwoman ?
Kurds are the oldest people in the middle. They want to live peacefully.
dostumuz israildir diye güvendik ama saldırıda israil bile destek vermedi. dünyanın en güölü istihbaratı elinde olan israil eğer kürdistan hükümetine destek verseydi mutlaka iran ve ırak kazanmayacaktı. ne yazık ki söyledikleri sözde kaldı. israilden bunu beklemiyorduk.
kürdistan düşmanları müslüman ülkeleri islam adı altında kürtleri katletmeye ve kürdistanın içine ihanetçileri yerleştirmiştir ve bu iran şeytanları dostlarınız olan kürtleri katletmeye devam ediyor. bari gelişmiş silahları ve istihbarat verin kürdistan kurulup israile birlikte kardeşliği pekişsin.