BICOM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone yesterday to discuss issues of mutual concern in the Middle East.

A statement from the Kremlin said: “There was a thorough discussion of ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme and the results of the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.”

Reports in Israel say the two leaders had an “in-depth” conversation. Netanyahu warned that “if Iran’s nuclear program does not change, then within eight to ten years, Iran will have an arsenal of nuclear weapons.”

Putin and Netanyahu last met in Sochi in August but have spoken on several occasions over the last two years. Israel and Russia have also established a system of sharing operational details over Syrian airspace to avoid misunderstandings or operational issues between their respective air forces.

Earlier in the day Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman met Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu.  Arab media reports say that the Russians agreed to expand a secure buffer zone in Syria to a distance of 10-15km from Israel’s border and will exclude Iranian and Hezbollah forces from that area.  Israel had originally requested a larger buffer zone 40km from its border.

Avigdor Lieberman departed yesterday evening for the US where he will meet Secretary of Defence James Mattis to discuss the Iran and the ongoing events in Syria.

Before he left, Lieberman responded to comments by Iran’s Chief of Staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, who visited Damascus for the first time in six years. Bagheri said “it is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria any time it wants”. Lieberman dismissed the comments and said Israel will not change its policy.