Israel takes stock of Putin’s pull with Iran
There’s a flurry of positioning as Iran, Russia, the United States and Israel all want assurances about the future balance of power in Syria.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Putin’s Black Sea residence in Sochi. It was their sixth meeting over the last two years, since Russia’s air force began its military operation in Syria. Netanyahu came to express his concern over the intentions of Iran and its allied Shiite militant movement, Hezbollah, to establish a permanent presence in an area of Syria currently being surrendered by the Islamic State (IS).
The Israelis are preoccupied with who is going to play the key role in the postwar future of Syria.
Netanyahu’s visit Aug. 23 came within three days of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's speech before diplomats in Damascus, where he put Russia on par with Iran and Hezbollah, thanking them for their support in the fight against terrorism and for Syria’s salvation.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah are conducting a successful military operation against IS along the Lebanon-Syria border. There are positive developments on other fronts as well. Thus, against this backdrop, who will be able to point Iran and its allies to the door, and how? Could Putin be useful to Netanyahu to this effect? The answer is no.
