The Israeli authorities opposed the conclusion of a truce in southern Syria, which was agreed by the presidents of Russia and the United States. Tel Aviv is afraid that the creation of de-escalation zones will prepare conditions for the invasion of the Iranian army, which will threaten Israel. This was stated at a press conference in Paris by the Prime Minister of the Jewish state Binyamin Netanyahu.
"Israel opposes ceasefire agreement in southern Syria. It (truce) perpetuates the presence of Iran in this country, "said the politician. According to the head of the Israeli government, the ceasefire agreement in the zones of de-escalation creates conditions for building up the Iranian presence in Syria. According to the concluded agreements on armistice, the armed forces of Iran are forbidden to appear in the border zone with Israel only 20 km deep - for Tel Aviv this is unacceptable, argues Netanyahu the publication "Haaretz".
High-ranking Israeli officials also explained to journalists that Tehran is going to create an aviation and naval base in Syria. "Expansionist aspirations" of the Islamic Republic is not a secret for anyone, say in the Ministry of Defense of Israel.
Concern about the plans of Moscow and Washington to achieve a ceasefire in Syria with the help of de-escalation zones, Netanyahu expressed earlier, immediately after the G20 summit, which was held July 7-8 in Hamburg. "Israel will welcome a real ceasefire, but it should not lead to the consolidation of the forces of Iran and its satellites in Syria in general and in the south of the country, in particular," the Israeli prime minister said during telephone conversations with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Israel's military department emphasizes that Tel-Aviv is interested in achieving peace in a neighboring country. However, for this purpose it is necessary to harmonize more thoroughly all the details of the agreements. "We support any attempts to calm the situation both in the whole territory of Syria and in the south-west of the country. At this stage, we lack the important details that the meeting of the Israeli, Russian and American teams should clarify. If the details satisfy us, we will welcome this initiative more than ever, "Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said earlier.
At the same time, he also pointed to the danger of an Iranian military presence in Syria. "Iran today turns all of Syria, including the south, into a springboard for action against Israel. We are not ready to admit this, we are not ready to put up with this. Therefore, we are trying to ensure that their spirit is not there either. This is one of the main conditions on which we will always insist, "the minister added..
At the meeting of the Russian and American leaders in Hamburg, among other things, specific borders of the armistice zones agreed earlier with the participation of the Russian Federation, the United States and Jordan were agreed upon. In accordance with the tripartite memorandum, the ceasefire regime entered into force on 12:00 from July 9,. Security in the south-west of the country, in accordance with the agreements, is provided by the Russian military police in cooperation with the armed forces of the United States and Jordan.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, over 2 thousand joined the truce.. Settlements. Cases of ceasefire violation are insignificant.
At the moment, the parties are working on the creation of armistice zones in yet another complex area of ??Syria. For this, negotiations are being held with representatives of Syrian government forces and opposition groups.
The idea of ??creating de-escalation zones was first voiced in May at an international meeting in Astana, attended by delegates from Moscow, Ankara and Tehran. Territories that were free from hostilities were proposed to be established in Idlib and in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia and Homs.