MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Israel welcomed Russia’s efforts in Syria’s southern de-escalation zone, deputy spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry, Artyom Kozhin, said on Tuesday.

"Israel’s leadership highly assessed Russia’s efforts on the establishment of a de-escalation zone in southwestern Syria, which envisaged withdrawal of all non-Syrian armed groups from that area," he said.

"Details of this zone’s functioning were agreed with the Americans, but, regrettably, they have failed to fulfil their own promises to separate Syrian armed opposition from Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia as terrorist organizations) militants. It forces the Syrian government army, backed by the Russian air taskforce, to carry out an operation to exterminate the nest of terrorism in areas adjacent to the Golan Heights," he said.