Steinitz: Israel Concerned About Iranian Military Deployment at Syrian Border

Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Energy Minister and head of the 'Iran file' in the Israeli government, stated that his country is 'worried about the deployment of Iranian military forces at the border with Syria and Israel.' In an interview with the Israeli army radio on Tuesday, October 7, Steinitz said that Israel is making it clear to the United States, Russia, and other powers that it will not tolerate the presence of Iranian forces at the Syrian border. According to Steinitz, Israel is engaging in discussions with global powers to emphasize that 'Iranian soldiers must remain in their own country.' The Jerusalem Post reported that 'a senior Israeli security official said last month that a unit of several hundred members of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has entered Syria to assist in the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime.' The Israeli security official claimed that the expansion of coordination between Russia and Iran for the survival of Assad's regime is the result of a recent meeting between Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, and Vladimir Putin during Soleimani's secret trip to Moscow. This claim comes despite Russia denying Soleimani's presence in Moscow. Simultaneously, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, referred to the attacks attributed to Israel against Syrian territory during a meeting with Barack Obama, the President of the United States, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, calling it a cause for concern. According to Israeli media, Putin stated that Russia is 'worried' about the consequences of repeated Israeli attacks against Syria. Meanwhile, the Russian President added that his country respects 'Israel's interests' and understands Israel's concerns about border incursions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed concern during his visit to Moscow last week, stating that 'Iran is seeking to open a new front against Israel at the border with Syria.' Recently, Russia has been more explicit in defending the necessity of Assad's regime's survival in Syria, but Putin has rejected sending military forces for direct intervention in the Syrian war in favor of the Damascus government. During his meeting with Obama, Putin reiterated his country's views, but according to global media reports, no agreement was reached between the two leaders regarding Bashar al-Assad, although they both agreed that ISIS must be defeated. Arab media, including Al Jazeera, reported that the Israeli Air Force attacked three targets in Syria on the night of October 5. According to these reports, Israel apparently carried out these attacks in response to two mortars fired from the Syrian Golan Heights towards a part of the heights occupied by Israel. Reports indicated that the mortars were fired by Syrian opposition forces. General Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's Defense Minister, did not confirm or deny the attacks attributed to his country against Syria but stated that Israel holds Damascus responsible for any incursions against it. According to Ya'alon, 'the firing of mortars is a red line for Israel's security... and this country will not ignore border incursions... and will defend itself against threats.' Israeli media also reported that Benjamin Netanyahu will state in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, October 8, that Iran has 'expanded its terrorist activities against Israel' following the nuclear agreement with global powers.