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Israeli ex-PM says reached important agreements with Russia on Syria

He noted that Russia is important for Israel due to the fact that it borders Syria in the north

TEL AVIV, February 5. /TASS/. Israel’s former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that while in office he managed to reach important agreements with Russia on Syria.

In his first interview after vacating his office, Bennett recalled his meeting with Putin in Sochi in 2021. According to the Israeli politician, their conversation lasted nearly five hours and they discussed a lot of issues - from military history to practical cooperation in the Middle East. "We spoke about the army, about various approaches, and about practical things - Iran, Syria," he said in the interview fragments of which were aired by Israel’s TV Channel 12 on Saturday evening and fully released on Bennett’s YouTube channel on Sunday.

He noted that Russia is important for Israel due to the fact that it borders Syria in the north. "[Russia] is important due to many reasons. Including because their presence in Syria, their S-300 [air defense systems]. And these are the most advanced surface-to-air missiles," he noted.

According to the former Israeli prime minister, his conversation with Putin was successful for Israel. "According to reports in foreign sources, something happened inn Syria after that visit that had never happened before. I can say that we have had certain differences with Russians in Syria in recent years and it restrained our actions there. I made sure that Israel enjoy full freedom of action in Syria and it has been seen in the recent 18 months," Bennett noted.

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