Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held Sunday a series of meetings in Paris in the framework of his intensive efforts to combat Iranian activity in Syria and Lebanon and work on “recruiting the world behind the demand to expel Iranians completely from Syrian territory.”
Netanyahu arrived in Paris and met the French President, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the commemorations marking 100 years since the end of World War I. He urged Macron to use his influence in Lebanon to put more pressure on Lebanese President Michel Aoun and PM Saad Hariri’s government in regards to Iran's advanced weapons factories on Lebanese soil as well as against Iranian activity in Syria.
Netanyahu spokesman said he intends to meet with the largest number of leaders, among the 60 participating in the celebrations, to propose the idea of forming a coalition against Iran. Notably, Housing Minister and former Israeli army’s Southern Command Yoav Gallant called for forming an international coalition, including the United States, Europe, Russia, and other European countries to push Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah out of Syria.
“We need to make sure we don’t make the same mistake that we did in Lebanon and allow an Iranian military presence in Syria,” he told “Jerusalem Post,”adding that Israel cannot allow the Syrian regime to have access to advanced weaponry which makes its way from Iran to Lebanon via Syria.
Gallant claimed that Israel can take out Iran from Syria, “but we need to continue having a coalition with those who can help us,” he said, explaining that there is no country that wants Iran to remain in Syria.
He said that Iranian threat isn’t limited to Syria as Tehran “controls” three countries outside its borders – in Iraq through its Shiite militias, in Lebanon through Hezbollah, and in Yemen through the Houthi rebels – and is trying very hard to entrench itself in Syria.
On the other hand, Netanyahu said he had a “short talk” with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris. He said the talks were “good and substantive and even very important.” Netanyahu’s office had been working to arrange such a meeting, his first with Putin since Syrian air defenses downed a Russian military plane during an Israeli airstrike in Syria in mid-September.
