BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday welcomed the ceasefire in Syria which came into effect on Saturday, but warned that an end to violence must include an end to threats against Israel.

The United States and Russia last week announced that there would be a cessation of hostilities by all sides who are party to the deal, including the Syrian government and US-backed opposition groups. However, the strength of the ceasefire has been questioned, given that it does not apply to ISIS, the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front and other terror groups.

Netanyahu though welcomed the truce at the start of yesterday’s cabinet meeting. He said, “We welcome the efforts to reach a long-term, stable and substantive cease-fire in Syria … Anything that would put an end to the terrible slaughter there is important first and foremost from the human standpoint.”

However, he added that “it’s important to make clear that any resolution in Syria must include a halt to the Iranian aggression against Israel from Syrian territory.” In particular, he outlined Israel’s “red lines,” saying that, “We won’t agree to the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and we won’t agree to the establishment of a terrorist front against Israel in the Golan.” Iran is a long-time sponsor of Hezbollah and it is thought that Israel has launched air strikes in Syria on several occasions to prevent weapons being smuggled to the terror group in Lebanon amid the fog of war. Meanwhile, during Syria’s Civil War, Israeli forces near the Syrian border have been attacked in efforts thought to have been coordinated by an Iranian-sponsored terror group.

Last week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Netanyahu, in order to outline the terms of the ceasefire. Israel and Russia have established protocols which would avoid any misunderstandings between the respective militaries surrounding Syria. Last week, Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that both Russia and the United States both respect Israel’s “freedom to act and to defend our interests.”