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ISRAEL-US-SYRIA-CONFLICT-DIPLOMACY-RUSSIA
Netanyahu to talk post-US Syria with Trump advisor
JERUSALEM, Jan 6, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said that he would discuss Iranian ambitions in neighbouring Syria
when he meets Sunday evening with US national security advisor John Bolton in
Jerusalem.
Bolton arrived in Israel on Saturday night for talks on the future of Syria
in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all US forces
there.
The announcement has concerned Israel and other US allies in the region,
and Trump has since spoken of “slowly” sending troops home “over a period of
time”.
“I will discuss with him efforts to stop Iranian aggression in our region,
the situation in Syria, following President Trump’s decision, and the
continuation of the conversation I held with President Putin on Friday,”
Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
The phone call with Putin was the first between the leaders since Trump’s
surprise statement that he was pulling all 2,000 troops from Syria, declaring
that the United States had achieved its objective as the Islamic State group
had been “knocked” out.
Netanyahu’s office said he and Putin “discussed the situation in Syria and
recent developments and agreed on continued coordination between the (Israeli
and Russian) militaries”.
“Our position is clear,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “We continue at this
time to act against the Iranian military buildup in Syria, and we are acting
against anyone who undermines or tries to undermine Israel’s security.”
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in neighbouring Syria
against what it says are Iranian military targets and deliveries of advanced
weapons to Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran.
Israeli public radio said that Sunday evening’s meeting would also include
Washington’s concerns over Chinese commercial and technological activity in
the Jewish state.
Netanyahu has been delighted by Trump’s hard line on Israel’s main enemy
Iran and the landmark move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but the
pullout from Syria has caused concern.
At a meeting on Tuesday in Brazil, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told
the Israeli premier that the Syria pullout would not affect US support and
protection of Israel.
“The counter-ISIS campaign continues, our efforts to counter Iranian
aggression continue, and our commitment to Middle East stability and
protection of Israel continues in the same way before that decision was
made,” he said using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
BSS/AFP/RY/1858 hrs