'Any deal on Syria must look after Israel's security'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the ceasefire in Syria, yet stressed that any agreement on the future of the country must assure Israel's security as well.

"We welcome the efforts to reach a stable, long-term ceasefire in Syria," Xinhua quoted Netanyahu as saying.

His comments came two days after a ceasefire agreement was struck in the country mired in a civil war since 2011, which claimed the lives of nearly 300,000 people.

Netanyahu said that while he welcomes the ceasefire that would "put an end to the horrible carnage" in the country, the most important thing as far as he was concerned is that any agreement would prevent Iran from establishing a front against Israel in Syria.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have objected to the nuclear weapons agreement signed between Iran and world countries in July, curbing the former's nuclear plan in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against Iran.