National Security Adviser and National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat told his Russian counterpart in a meeting Thursday (Sept. 13) in Moscow that all Iranian forces must leave Syria.
Ben-Shabbat met with Russian National Security Council Chairman Nikolai Patrushev, along with Security establishment officials and senior officers.
The officials discussed regional issues in the Middle East, including the situation in Syria, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“National Security Adviser Ben-Shabbat emphasized that Israel insists that Iranian forces must leave all of Syria,” the statement read.
Ben-Shabbat is one in a long line of Israeli officials to make the same statement.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has repeated the same words to his own Russian counterpart, echoing similar words spoken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his meetings with Russian officials, including his meetings with President Vladimir Putin, with whom Netanyahu reportedly has a strong, positive working relationship.