Vladimir Putin has begged
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid actions that could fuel further conflict following Israeli air raids in
Syria, it has been reported.
The news has come after Israel yesterday shot down an
Iranian drone which was launched from Syria and has also struck Iranian targets in the region as tensions between the two countries rise.
The alleged drone infiltration into Israel’s airspace led to the Israeli Air Force launching it’s biggest retaliatory strikes in Syria in more than 30 years.
As the cross-border escalation ensued, one of Israel’s F-16 jets was downed by Syrian air-defence systems.
Putin urged the Israeli Prime Minister to “avoid any steps that could lead to a new round of confrontation dangerous to everyone in the region,” according to the Kremlin.
However, at a press conference yesterday evening, Mr Netanyahu said: “I reiterated to Mr Putin our right and our duty to defend ourselves against aggression against us from Syrian territory.
“We agreed the security coordination between our armies will continue.”
Mr Netanyahu insisted that “Israel seeks peace”.
He also claimed Israel would continue to defend itself “with determination against any attack against us and against any attempt by Iran to establish a military presence against us in Syria or anywhere else”.
Meanwhile, the
Russian Foreign Ministry has stressed that Moscow remains “concerned” that new tensions could affect zones of de-escalation that it argues have become “an important factor for the reduction of violence on Syrian soil”.
Israel is not actively engaged in the Syrian war but it does keep close tabs on Iran and Hezbollah, both of which are backing Syrian government forces in the conflict.
Throughout the course of Syria’s civil war, Israel has carried out a number of raids over the border against alleged Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah.