Russia recently proposed to Israel and the United States that Iran receive sanctions relief from some U.S. sanctions in exchange for the removal of Iran’s forces and its proxies from Syria, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting on Monday.
According to Axios: “Iranian retrenchment in Syria is a huge concern for Israel, but the Russian position until now has been, at least publicly, that Iran’s presence is legitimate because it came at the Assad regime’s invitation. This is the first we’re hearing that the Russians have floated an idea for Iran’s withdrawal, and that they’re linking it to U.S. sanctions.”
The Israeli prime minister did not take a stance on the Russian proposition.
The Russian embassy in Tel Aviv declined to comment to the outlet, which was told by a senior State Department official: “We remain engaged with the U.N. and other parties, including Russia, to encourage all possible efforts to advance the political track as called for in UNSCR 2254. We do not however discuss the substance of these diplomatic discussions.”