Lavrov's Explicit Criticism of Soleimani's Remarks on 'Destruction of Israel' in the Presence of Iran's Foreign Minister

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, criticized last week's remarks by Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, regarding the 'inevitability of the destruction of Israel' in the presence of his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Monday. According to Russian and Israeli media, Lavrov emphasized at the international Valdai Discussion Club event, affiliated with the Kremlin, that statements about erasing Israel from the map are unacceptable. Lavrov made this point in response to a question from an Arab journalist who inquired about his stance on Soleimani's recent comments. The Russian Foreign Minister stated that his country has 'repeatedly stressed that statements suggesting Israel, as a Zionist state, should be destroyed and erased from the geographical map are unacceptable,' adding that 'this is a completely wrong way to advance a country's interests.' Soleimani had stated last Wednesday during a ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the death of Imad Mughniyeh, the military commander of Hezbollah, in Tehran that 'the revenge for Imad Mughniyeh's blood is not the firing of a missile or the killing of a person; the revenge for this blood is the destruction of the Zionist regime (Israel), and the enemy knows that this is an inevitable matter; this is a divine promise that will definitely be fulfilled.' Reports from the two-day Valdai event indicate that Lavrov's clear criticisms of Iran's position on 'the destruction of Israel' did not elicit a direct response from Zarif. According to the Jerusalem Post, Dori Gold, former Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and head of an Israeli institute present at the event, assessed Lavrov's remarks as significant due to their delivery in the presence of the Iranian Foreign Minister. Gold stated to the Jerusalem Post that Zarif, who 'is skilled at smiling,' merely smiled upon hearing Lavrov's comments. Iran and Russia have cooperated for the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime in the Syrian civil war, but Israeli officials have recently reiterated that Israel's military actions in defense of its interests in Syria are conducted 'in full coordination' with Russia. At the Valdai event, Lavrov also commented on the severe border clashes between Israel and Syria; on Saturday, January 21, Israel first reported an incursion of an 'Iranian drone' from Syrian airspace into its territory and then retaliated with attacks, as well as the downing of one of its fighter jets. In this context, Lavrov implicitly stated that Israel's attacks in Syria were supported by the United States, saying, 'Developments in Syria are conditional on what the U.S. does or does not do.' The Russian Foreign Minister also stated that regional problems cannot be solved by confronting Iran, and Russia is 'completely opposed' to this approach. Lavrov expressed that some of the recent U.S. actions regarding the Middle East, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, were taken due to 'anti-Iranian positions.' Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, also stated at the Valdai Club meeting that 'Israel has repeatedly violated Syrian airspace; however, for the first time in 36 years, the Syrian air defense system has managed to shoot down an Israeli aircraft; is this a catastrophe?' He also said, 'Do not look for excuses like drones; if someone violates another country, they should know they may face a response.' However, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizes that Iran is consolidating its military presence in Syria and has explicitly warned that Israel 'will never accept this situation,' Zarif added that Iran has 'no military base' in Syria. Netanyahu also raised the issue of the 'Iranian drone' that infiltrated Israeli airspace at a security conference in Munich on Sunday, stating that Israel may take action against Iran itself if necessary. Zarif, who was also present at the Munich conference, described Netanyahu's remarks as 'a ridiculous circus.' Iran had previously emphasized that Israel lied about the 'drone,' and Syria stated that the drone Israel referred to as 'evidence' of Iran's violation of its airspace belonged to the Syrian army.