Netanyahu, Putin agree to continue coordination on Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Friday to continue coordination on Syrian issues during a telephonic conversation.

The two leaders discussed the situation in Syria and recent developments, and agreed to continue coordination between Israeli and Russian militaries, according to a statement issued by the prime minister's office, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the conversation, Netanyahu said Israel is determined to continue its efforts to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria.

Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Israel said on its Twitter account that the discussion between Putin and Netanyahu focused on the situation in Syria, including the US decision to withdraw its troops from the country.

The two leaders emphasized the necessity to defeat terrorism and advance along the path of a political settlement in Syria, the Russian embassy said.

The announcement of the US President Donald Trump last December that Washington will withdraw all its troops from Syria raised concerns in Israel.

Following the announcement, Netanyahu said Israel "will continue to act against Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria".

The tension between Israel and Russia has been on the rise since last September when a Russian aircraft was brought downed by Syrian anti-aircraft fire during an Israeli airstrike.

Although Russia blamed the downing on Israel, Netanyahu has repeated said Israel will continue to take action to prevent Iran from establishing military presence in Syria.

--IANS

pgh/