Kremlin does not rule out new Putin-Netanyahu contacts
On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister said that during the recent telephone conversation with the Russian leader they agreed to meet "soon"
Work is in progress on new contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it is too early to talk about specific dates yet, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"As for Netanyahu, we do not rule out that such contacts (with Putin) can take place, but there are no specific dates yet," he said.
On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister said at a weekly meeting of his Cabinet that during the recent telephone conversation with the Russian leader they agreed to meet soon "to continue important coordination" between the two countries’ armed forces. That will be the first meeting between Putin and Netanyahu after the Il-20 plane crash.
Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was downed over the Mediterranean on September 17 when it was flying back to the Russian airbase at Syria’s Hmeymim. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the plane was shot down by a missile from a Syrian S-200 air defense system when it was firing at four Israeli F-16 aircraft attacking targets in the Latakia governorate. The Israeli pilots actually hid behind the Russian plane exposing it to Syrian missiles, the ministry stressed.
Netanyahu plans to discuss with Putin Iran’s military presence in Syria
The prime minister said that Israel will act with determination against Iran's attempts to open an additional front against them on the Golan Heights
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he plans to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin Iran’s presence in Syria and the transfer of lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"We (Israel - TASS) will continue to act with determination against Iran's attempts to open an additional front against us on the Golan Heights, and in Syria we will act against any attempts to transfer lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by his press service.
"I will discuss these matters with President Putin when I meet with him soon," he added.
"I decided with President Putin on important security coordination between the IDF and the Russian military, and of course together we have developed good relations between Russia and Israel," Netanyahu went on to say. "I know that President Putin understands my commitment to the security of Israel and I know that he also understands the importance that I ascribe to the Golan Heights, that we all ascribe to the Golan Heights and to the heritage of Israel."
According to the Israeli prime minister, Israel’s presence on the Golan Heights "is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area" and "a solid reality based on ancient rights" that must be recognized by the international community.
At a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said he had had a telephone conversation with Putin to agree on a meeting in the near future. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday Putin’s possible meeting with the Israeli prime minister was being looked at but it was too early to speak of a concrete date. In any case, it will be their first meeting after the incident with the Russian Il-20 plane that was downed over the Mediterranean on September 17.
Israel took control over the Golan Heights that had belonged to Syria from 1944 after the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1981, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed a law on the Golan Heights unilaterally proclaiming Israel’s sovereignty over this territory. United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 from December 17, 1981 ruled that the annexation was null and void, having no international legal effect.
S-300 to impede Israeli Air Force flights over Syria, says analyst
The expert believes that in order to ease tensions Russia should maintain a dialogue with Israel
Air defense systems S-300 will impede Israeli Air Force flights, including reconnaissance ones, over Syria. Although Tel-Aviv earlier said it would not give up its operations, the S-300 factor puts pressure on the Israeli leadership, the chief of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Alexander Mikhailov, told TASS on Monday.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would not give up its operations in Syria in defiance of the supply of Russia’s S-300 systems to that country.
"When Russia’s S-300s are turned on over Syrian-Israeli points of engagement, the Israeli pilots know they are on Russian radars. Naturally, they report this to their superiors and this puts pressure on the Israeli leadership," Mikhailov said.
"The Israeli leadership’s position has been determined - Israel wants to go ahead with unhampered flights over Syria’s border areas and press for its decisions regarding the presence of Iranian forces there, which under our agreements with Israel are now leaving these territories," Mikhailov said.
He believes that if Israel continues to coordinate its actions with the Russian group in Syria further on, it will be possible to avoid incidents in the future.
"We would like to believe that if Israel and the Israeli Defense Ministry hold consultations with the Russian group in Syria over all activities, no conflicts will ever emerge. I believe that the Israeli leadership will display common sense not to repeat such incidents and to stay out of the areas where our systems are turned on," Mikhailov said.
He believes that in order to ease tensions Russia should maintain a dialogue with Israel.
"We should conduct a mutually beneficial dialogue with Israel and address it with fresh reminders that combat operations are in progress away from the Russian borders, but near the Israeli ones, so it would make no sense to aggravate the already complicated situation… One would like to believe that the Israeli Defense Ministry will refrain from provoking the Syrian air defense into hitting Israeli aircraft," he added.
Ilyushin-20 crash in the Mediterranean
Russia’s reconnaissance and radio-electronic warfare plane Ilyushin-20 was shot down over the Mediterranean on September 17 while returning to the Hmeymim airbase. The Russian Defense Ministry said the plane was downed with a missile launched by Syria’s air defense system S-200, which was counterattacking four Israeli jets F-16 during their strikes against targets in Latakia province. The Ilyushin-20’s fifteen crew were killed in the tragedy.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on September 24 said that the loss of the Ilyushin-20 in Syria due to the Israeli air pilots’ actions forced Moscow to take extra security measures. Russia’s air defense systems S-300 will be deployed in Syria within two weeks, the command posts of Syria’s air defense will be equipped with automatic Russian systems capable of identifying Russian planes and Russian means of radio-electronic warfare will pose obstructions to air strikes against targets in Syria.
Israel trying to show that S-300 in Syria did not change balance of powers, expert says
Alexander Zotov says it was necessary to deliver S-300 systems to Syria because the activities of the Israeli Air Force in Syria posed a serious threat to air traffic between Hmeymim and Russia
Israel will continue air operations against Iranian forces and Lebanon's Hezbollah group despite Russia's delivery of S-300 missile systems to Syria, former Russian Ambassador to Damascus and political analyst Alexander Zotov told a roundtable in Moscow on Monday.
"There is a narrative in Israel, among experts, among political analysts and in the media, that is being fueled by statements of Defense Minister [Avigdor] Lieberman and even of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu himself, that generally 'we [Israel] are not going to deviate from our course of responding to any actions by Iran and Hezbollah which present a potential threat to us, and no one and nothing can stop us'," Zotov said. "That is why many people in Israel think that there could be some kind of a demonstrative attack, maybe even at an imaginary facility, maybe far away from all those systems being deployed in Syria now, in order to avoid striking any facilities with Russian servicemen, in order to make it look like everything is fine and everything goes according to plan," he added.
The expert noted Israel should be able to understand how risky it is to carry out such operations without coordination with Russia. "In the situation when our air defense systems are given to Syria, the responsibility for retaliatory strikes will lie with Syrians, and we will thus get a room for maneuver," Zotov said. "Because what Syrians do represents a natural right of any country to defend its territory from an outside threat," he added.
Much-needed solution
According to Zotov, it was necessary to deliver S-300 missile systems to Syria because the activities of the Israeli Air Force in Syria posed a serious threat to air traffic between Hmeymim and Russia, while Israeli commanders were not transparent enough with the Russian military about their flights.
"First of all, it was emphasized in statements by our military officials that it is unacceptable for Israel not to inform us, thus violating existing agreements. Informing us one minute in advance does not count as preliminary notification," he said. "They [Israeli forces] did not tell us where they would operate, in what region. They just said they will operate in the north of Syria. That is, they practically tried to deceive us," he added.
"Secondly, this whole Israeli operation on delivering strikes at some facility belonging to Iran or Hezbollah was carried out in close proximity to our Hmeymim base which, as you know, is located to the south of Latakia," Zotov continued. "This created a real threat to a very heavy air traffic flow between Hmeymim and our country, including civilian, commercial and any other types of flights. It was impossible to put up with it, so our resolute response was justified and necessary, from this point of view," he noted.
Zotov reminded that the process of handing over S-300 missile systems to the Syrian army will take some time, and that the situation in Syria's airspace will not change quickly. "For now, we are talking about a process. We are not talking about an immediate shift in the balance of powers," he said.
One Syrian soldier killed in shelling by militants — Russian reconciliation center
Settlements in the Latakia governorate and the city of Aleppo repeatedly came under shellings over the last 24 hours
Numerous ceasefire violations by militants from Syria’s Idlin de-escalation zone were reported over the past 24 hours, with settlements in the Latakia governorate and the city of Aleppo coming under shelling. One Syrian serviceman was killed and ten others were wounded, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties Vladimir Savchenko said on Monday.
"During the day shelling attacks were reported from the settlements of Kira Kilisa (thrice), Dahr abu-Assad (thrice), Jubb al-Mgara (twice), Safsara (twice), Sandran, Rosweit Rushu, Mortlu, Barashi, Beit Smayra and Ikko in the Latakia governorate and Aleppo’s Makanis al-Duwayr neighborhood. As a result of shelling attacks, one Syrian serviceman was killed and ten others were wounded in the Latakia governorate," he said.
According to Savchenko, officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted one humanitarian operation in the settlement of Rsas in the al-Suwayda governorate. A total of 1.29 tonnes of food products were distributed among civilians. Apart from that, one tonne of bread was handed out to people in Aleppo.
Russian reconciliation center
The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes.
Syrian Ambassador demands unwelcome foreign entities leave Syria
On Monday, the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar Al-Ja’afari, slammed the foreign nations currently inside Syria without Damascus’ invitation.
During his brief press conference at the United Nations, Dr. Ja’afari criticized a report on Syria that was released by member stated.
“Authors of the report did not mention the aggression and foreign presence on the territories of some UN member states without their approval and under unconcealed and fake pretexts like possession of weapons of mass destruction or protecting their civilians from non-existent fictitious danger or spreading fake democracy,” Dr. Ja’afari said.
“It would have been helpful if those who prepared the report had considered that foreign presence as illegitimate and a blatant breach of the international law and the UN’s Charter as well as an aggression against states’ sovereignty and a threat to the international peace and security,” he added, noting that the reference here is to the illegal US, British and French military presence on the Syrian territories.
