Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday to discuss a possible security zone free of Iranian troops along Syria's border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Liberman reportedly told Shoigu that Israel seeks to “keep an open line” between the Israel Defense Forces and the Russian army as “advanced talks” take place with Moscow on a potential withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation in Syria in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad insisted in an interview with Kremlin-backed Russia Today on Thursday that the Iranian presence in Syria was limited to officers assisting the Syrian army and accused Israel of spreading “lies” about Hezbollah's role in the civil war. In response, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called Assad's comments “cheap propaganda” aimed at obscuring the fact that massive Israeli strikes killed several Iranians inside Syria last month.
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