Russia Agrees To Israeli Demand For Anti-Iran Buffer Zone In Syria

According to Arab media, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Israeli officials during his visit this week to Jerusalem that Moscow is amenable to creating a buffer zone along the Syrian border, in which Iranian-backed forces will not be allowed to operate. While Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly pushed for a 40 kilometer area, Russian President Vladimir Putin is believed to have approved a 10-15 kilometer off-limits zone. Israel fears that as the Syrian war winds down Tehran will try to gain a permanent military foothold in the country, which is a red line for Jerusalem. To this end, Netanyahu has repeatedly criticized a U.S.-Russian ceasefire deal in southern Syria, which he claims turns a blind eye to Iranian efforts to militarize the Golan Heights, from which the Islamic Republic’s Shiite proxies could target northern Israel with short- and medium-range missiles. Should Iran be able to entrench itself in Syria, any region under its control could likewise be used to set up military infrastructure, including weapons manufacturing facilities as well as serve as a land bridge through which to transfer advanced arms to Hizbullah in Lebanon. Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman have made clear on numerous occasions that the Jewish state will act militarily, if need be, to prevent such an eventuality.