{"id":646768,"date":"2019-06-28T14:51:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T14:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"
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As trilateral U.S.-Russia-Israel talks kicked off in Jerusalem on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister said the three countries share a common objective of \u201cthe departure of all foreign forces from Syria who entered Syria after 2011,\u201d when the civil war broke out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll three of us would like to see a peaceful, stable and secure Syria,\u201d Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the unprecedented summit.<\/p>\n

The departure of those foreign forces is a way to achieve that goal, he said, adding that it \u201cwill be good for Russia, good for the U.S., good for Israel, and may I add, good for Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu also mentioned that \u201cIsrael has acted hundreds of times to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, while it actively and openly calls and works for [Israel\u2019s] destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel has acted, he said, \u201cto prevent Iran from delivering increasingly sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah, or to form a second front in the north against [Israel] from the Golan Heights.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S National Security Advisor John Bolton described Iran as a \u201csource of belligerence and aggression\u201d in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

While the U.S. and Israel are staunch rivals of Iran, Russia and Iran are strategic allies.<\/p>\n

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that Russia is Iran\u2019s partner, but also understands the positions of Israel.<\/p>\n

Russia has managed to maintain close relations with both Iran and Israel.<\/p>\n

Iran, Patrushev said, is Russia\u2019s partner in the fight against terrorism in Syria.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very important to listen to how every side assesses the situation,\u201d Patrushev said.<\/p>\n

The decision in Dec. 2018 by the U.S. to withdraw from Syria had abruptly scrambled the geopolitics of the Middle East, clearing the way for Iran to expand its influence across the region, leaving Israel virtually alone to stop it, and raising the prospect that thousands of Islamic State prisoners could be set free.<\/p>\n

Beyond the region, Trump\u2019s announcement ricocheted from Moscow, where it was praised, to Washington, where it was the catalyst for the resignation of defence secretary Jim Mattis.<\/p>\n

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