Russia: Israel Agrees To Removal Of Iranian Forces 85 Kilometers From Golan Heights Border

Russia’s special presidential envoy for Syria claimed that Israel has agreed to a proposal to bar Iranian forces from operating within 85 kilometers of the Golan Heights border. The revelation comes one week after Jerusalem rejected an offer from Moscow to keep Iranian-allied Shiite troops 100 km. from the shared Israeli-Syrian frontier. Israel has long demanded that Iran not be permitted to maintain any military presence in Syria after the war, and, to this end, has vowed to continue targeting with air strikes the Islamic Republic’s assets in the country. Earlier this week, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov poured cold water on the notion that Moscow retains the capacity to fully expel Iranian loyalists, who he described as “playing a very, very important role in our common and joint effort to eliminate terrorists in Syria.” Notably, no Israeli official appears to have commented on or off the record on the latest report. On Thursday, Russia announced that United Nations peacekeepers have returned to patrol the border between Israel and Syria for first time since 2014.