Israel is discussing Russia's guarantees that Iran would not approach the Golan Heights, Israeli Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director General Alexander Ben-Zvi said.
According to Ben-Zvi, the withdrawal of the Shiite troops is necessary to stabilize the situation in Syria’s the southern de-escalation zone.
He stressed that Russia "definitely" understood Israel's concern over the presence of Shiite troops in Syria and whether it could provide guarantees that Iran would not approach the Golan Heights.
Ben-Zvi noted that Iran has disagreements with Russia over Iran. "Our position in this situation is clear – we have reiterated many times to our Russian colleagues how we see the situation and that in any case a settlement in Syria can be reached only when there is no Iran, Hezbollah and Shiite troops," Sputnik cited the diplomat as saying.
He added that, from Israel's point of view, the Iranian presence in Syria will not lead to a settlement of the conflict, but rather to an escalation of the situation.
