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(Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, 09 March 2017. Israeli Embassy Moscow, Twitter.)

Israel’s Prime Minister has warned Russia’s President that there will be no peace in Syria if Iran is allowed to develop a foothold in the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with President Vladimir Putin during his third visit to Moscow in a year. After the meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu said that they “discussed at length the matter of Iran, its objectives and intentions in Syria” and that he “clarified that there cannot be a peace deal in Syria when Iran is there and declares its intention to destroy Israel”.

The Israeli leader warned President Putin that Iran is arming itself and its forces against Israel including from Syria territory and is gaining a foothold to “continue the fight against Israel”. He added that “there cannot be peace when they continue the war and therefore they have to be removed”.

Iranian forces and proxy Shi’ite military groups, such as Hezbollah, have fought alongside the Syrian army in the civil war, which is also staunchly supported by Russian forces.

During previous meetings, Netanyahu and Putin agreed to implement a high-level chain of communication in order to coordinate their respective military operations in and around Syria. Israel has allegedly carried out a number of air strikes over Syrian territory to prevent the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah.

Netanyahu also said that he and Putin discussed Iranian attempts to establish a naval base in Syria, but that they devoted very little time to discussing diplomatic progress with the Palestinian Authority.

The Prime Minister mentioned this weekend’s Purim holiday, during which Jews celebrate deliverance from a plan by a Persian viceroy 2,500 years ago to destroy the Jewish people. Making a contemporary comparison, Netanyahu said that “today there is an attempt by Persia’s heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews… they say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles”.

Environment Minister Ze’ev Elkin and acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel were among the senior officials accompanying Netanyahu in Moscow.