Russia Facilitated Iran Troops Withdrawal From Syria's South - Official

11:46 GMT, 19 December 2018

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow has contributed to Iranian troops' pull-out by 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from the separation line in the de-escalation zone in the south of Syria, Alexander Venediktov, an aide to the Russian Security Council secretary, told Sputnik.

Sputnik

"These were exactly the efforts of the Russian side that contributed to the fact that Iranian military has passed control over the southern de-escalation zone to Syrian troops, and has been pulled out by 100 kilometers away from the separation line. I consider it a significant contribution to the Iranian-Israeli relations stabilization. In this context, we would consider it useful if Israel made responsive steps for the sake of de-escalation," Venediktov said.

No Need for Setting Up Military Base in Syria - Iranian Army Spokesman

4 December 2018, 13:17 GMT

Israel traditionally views Iran as its main opponent in the Middle East region and is concerned over the presence of Iranian military instructors as well as the Hezbollah Shia movement, backed by Tehran, in neighboring Syria.

Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is the guarantor of the ceasefire in Syria. Moscow is actively involved in diplomatic efforts on settlement of the conflict, supporting the Syrian government forces' fight against terrorist groups and providing humanitarian aid to civilians.