Putin warns Netanyahu to avoid action to destabilize Syria
Kremlin says Putin 'underscored importance of Syrian sovereignty' and cautioned Israel to avoid any 'action threatening its security'; PMO: Netanyahu reiterated opposition to Iranian presence in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday not to take any action that could destabilize Syria or put its security in peril, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin released word of the two leaders' conversation during Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech at the state ceremony commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum.
"The Syrian matter was discussed, including the recent missile attack on the T-4 Airbase in Homs, which was carried out by the Israeli Air Force," the Russian statement said.
In the telephone call, the Prime Minister reiterated that Israel will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria, a message by the Prime Minister's Office said.
Syria, Iran and Russia say Israel was behind an air strike on a Tiyas Military Airbase—also known as T-4—on Sunday that killed 14 people, among them seven Iranian military personnel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the accusations.
The Kremlin's statement said Putin "underscored the principal importance of observing the sovereignty of Syria and called for holding back from any actions that would further destabilize the situation in this country and present threats to its security."
The telephone call took place after a series of harshly-worded Russian messages following the attack near Homs.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said the attack signified a "dangerous development," whereas a spokesman for the Kremlin said the Russians were not forewarned, adding, "We have communicated our position to Israel."
The Russian president's statements to Netanyahu came mere hours after an especially combative tweet by US President Donald Trump. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'" the tweet read.
"Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War," the president asserted in a subsequent tweet.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, striking a cautious tone hours after Trump's more pugnacious threat of missile strikes, said the United States was assessing intelligence about the suspected attack.
Asked if he had seen enough evidence to blame Assad, Mattis said: "We're still working on this."
Without elaborating, he added that the US military stood ready to provide military options, if appropriate. It was unclear whether his remarks reflected any unease about Trump's apparent move toward military action.
Meanwhile, reports in Syria show preparations for a US retaliatory response are expanding. French daily Le Figaro reported Wednesday that the Syrian army was evacuating the Dumayr airbase in the Qalamun Mountains on the Syrian-Lebanon border.
The soldiers and missiles from that base, the French paper said, were being transferred to the Russian-operated Khmeimim airbase.
According to the French report, the planes that carried out the chemical attack in the rebel enclave in eastern Ghouta took off from the Dumayr airbase.
Opposition-affiliated media outlets in Syria reported Tuesday that the Assad regime and its allies were taking precautions in bases across the country.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian regime forces and the militias supporting it were on a heightened state of alert in all military bases and posts across the country, including in Damascus.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
