MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Israel believes Monday’s talks that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had in Jerusalem with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Gen Valery Gerassimov, were successful, the Israeli embassy in Moscow said.

"The meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat and other senior officials with a Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov was successful," the embassy said.

"At the meeting, the situation in Syria and Iran’s presence in Syria was discussed," it indicated.

"We are confident that the good relations between the Russian Federation and the state of Israel were a key factor for the positive talks," the report said.

"PM Netanyahu added at the meeting that he appreciates the words that were spoken by President Putin together with President Trump regarding the security of Israel during the recent summit in Helsinki," the embassy went on.

"Israel is committed to defending its borders and is determined to keep any threat that the Iranian regime might pose away from its northern border with Syria," the report said. "At the meeting, PM Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s demand that Syria will follow the 1974 disengagement agreements.".