Haaretz: Israel refuses to deploy Russian troops in southern Syria
Israeli Haaretz newspaper revealed that Israel is moving diplomatically to prevent the deployment of Russian forces in southern Syria, a move that Damascus said its seeking to curb Israeli military activity in that sensitive area.
Haaretz quoted an Israeli source as saying that the Syrian government has pushed for this option, with the aim of creating a kind of military barrier that prevents direct contact with Israeli forces and gives Damascus a protective cover from any possible moves.
According to the report, two foreign diplomats confirmed that the issue was discussed in multiple talks over the past months, while the Israeli source didn’t deny that the issue was raised during previous talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The discussion about the deployment of Russian forces is constantly raised in political channels, explaining that Syrians see this deployment as a way to deter Israeli operations in the south.
However, this scenario isn’t currently on the table, as Moscow doesn’t seem ready to implement such a step without prior coordination with Israel.
Nevertheless, Israel doesn’t oppose a limited Russian presence inside Syria in general, as a balancing factor against Turkish influence, but it rejects it in the south of the country at the current stage, which has prompted it to take countermeasures.
A regional diplomat quoted by Haaretz estimated that the idea of deploying troops may already be on the Russian side, but noted that Moscow’s involvement in the Ukraine war has depleted its military capabilities, making allocating additional troops to southern Syria unlikely at the moment.
Israel prefers to push for the complete demilitarization of southern Syria rather than accept a permanent Russian military presence there.
