Israeli PM says he "will not allow" Iran to turn neighbouring Syria into a base of military operations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not allow Iran to turn neighbouring Syria into a base of military operations and vowed to limit the Islamic Republic's influence in the war-ravaged country.


"We are determined to ... prevent Iran ... from establishing itself militarily in Syria, on the ground, in the air or at sea," Netanyahu said as he held talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Jerusalem on Thursday.

"We are also determined to prevent it from bringing about the establishment of Shia militias, which it is organising, and of course, the arming of [Lebanese] Hezbollah with dangerous weapons aimed at us."

Thousands of Iranians and members of the Shia armed movement Hezbollah are in Syria fighting alongside government troops against Sunni rebels.

They have provided crucial support to President Bashar al-Assad's overstretched and exhausted army, and have played a significant role in the latest battle for eastern Aleppo.

In April, Netanyahu publicly admitted that dozens of convoys transporting weapons to Hezbollah had been attacked.

Last year, Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to set up a "hotline" to avoid accidental clashes.
 [aljazeera.com]
10/11/16