(Reuters) - Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country, four sources familiar with the efforts said.
Turkey's often fraught ties with Israel have come under severe strain during the Gaza war and Israeli officials have told Washington that Syria's new Islamist rulers, who are backed by Ankara, pose a threat to Israel's borders, the sources said.
The lobbying points to a concerted Israeli campaign to influence U.S. policy at a critical juncture for Syria, as the Islamists who ousted Bashar al-Assad try to stabilise the fractured state and get Washington to lift punishing sanctions.
Israel communicated its views to top U.S. officials during meetings in Washington in February and subsequent meetings in Israel with U.S. Congressional representatives, three U.S. sources and another person familiar with the contacts said.
The main points were also circulated to some senior U.S. officials in an Israeli "white paper", two of the sources said.
(...)
To contain Turkey, Israeli officials have sought to persuade U.S. officials that Russia should keep its Mediterranean naval base in Syria's Tartus province and its Hmeimim air base in Latakia province, the sources said.
When Israeli officials presented Russia's continued presence in a positive light in a meeting with U.S. officials, some attendees were surprised, arguing that Turkey - a NATO member - would be a better guarantor of Israel's security, two of the U.S. sources said.
Israeli officials were "adamant" that was not the case, the sources said.
Russia will keep low-profile not to anger anyone.
They're 5 minutes away from witnessing some Wild-West Mogadishu / Bengazi scenes (their men being dragged through the streets and their remains being eaten by some desert animals).
No doubt Europeans will want to see the millions of Syrian allahuakbar refugees returned back to Syria. They'll be good neighbours for Netanyahu.
Turkey's often fraught ties with Israel have come under severe strain during the Gaza war and Israeli officials have told Washington that Syria's new Islamist rulers, who are backed by Ankara, pose a threat to Israel's borders, the sources said.
The lobbying points to a concerted Israeli campaign to influence U.S. policy at a critical juncture for Syria, as the Islamists who ousted Bashar al-Assad try to stabilise the fractured state and get Washington to lift punishing sanctions.
Israel communicated its views to top U.S. officials during meetings in Washington in February and subsequent meetings in Israel with U.S. Congressional representatives, three U.S. sources and another person familiar with the contacts said.
The main points were also circulated to some senior U.S. officials in an Israeli "white paper", two of the sources said.
(...)
To contain Turkey, Israeli officials have sought to persuade U.S. officials that Russia should keep its Mediterranean naval base in Syria's Tartus province and its Hmeimim air base in Latakia province, the sources said.
When Israeli officials presented Russia's continued presence in a positive light in a meeting with U.S. officials, some attendees were surprised, arguing that Turkey - a NATO member - would be a better guarantor of Israel's security, two of the U.S. sources said.
Israeli officials were "adamant" that was not the case, the sources said.
Russia will keep low-profile not to anger anyone.
They're 5 minutes away from witnessing some Wild-West Mogadishu / Bengazi scenes (their men being dragged through the streets and their remains being eaten by some desert animals).
No doubt Europeans will want to see the millions of Syrian allahuakbar refugees returned back to Syria. They'll be good neighbours for Netanyahu.
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Moscow should keep its Mediterranean naval base in Syria's Tartus province and its Hmeimim air base in Latakia province
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