Israel will do 'everything' to stop Iran going nuclear: Netanyahu

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday his country will do "everything" to prevent arch-rival Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, during a visit by a senior Russian security official.

"Israel will not allow Iran, which calls for our destruction, to entrench on our border; we will do everything to prevent it from attaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.

He was speaking alongside Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Moscow's powerful security council, whose visit followed weeks of simmering tensions between Tehran and Washington in the Gulf.

Israel has carried out repeated strikes to prevent Iranian forces becoming embedded in neighbouring Syria, where both Iran and Moscow back the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The Israeli government has vowed never to let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, believing Israel would be the target.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely for civilian purposes.

Netanyahu has long campaigned against a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, from which the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew last year.

Patrushev did not directly mention the Islamic republic in his comments to the press.

"We pay great attention to Israel's security," he said.

"To resolve this issue in practice, it is necessary to bring peace and stability to the region, including on Syrian territory."