Russian Envoy: Deal Reached to Remove Iranian Forces From Golan

Russia seeks Israeli help in restoring US diplomatic ties

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya announced to journalists Friday that an agreement was reached that would involve removing all Iranian forces from the Syria-Israel border in the Golan Heights.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya

Israel has been pushing Russia on this issue for a while, and had conditioned not interfering in Syria’s offensive against rebels in southern Syria on getting Iran, along with Shi’ite militias, out of the border region.

In return, Russia is expecting Israel to provide them with assistance in restoring diplomatic ties with the United States. It’s not clear how Israel intends to do that, but Russian officials are said to be confident that Israel has the ability to help Russia in that direction.

On top of the direct move to get Iran off the border, Russia is also promising to issue a statement criticizing Iran for fueling tensions with Israel, and will push Syria not to too closely back Iran in this ongoing rivalry.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.