Israel lobbies US to keep Russian bases in Syria - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Israel is trying to persuade the United States to support a weak and decentralized Syria, including the retention of Russian military bases. The goal is to counter the growing influence of Turkey, which supports Syria's new Islamist rulers.
Israel is lobbying the United States to keep "Syria weak and decentralized," including "allowing Russia to keep its military bases there," to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country, citing four sources familiar with the effort, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
Turkey's often strained ties with Israel came under serious strain during the Gaza war, with Israeli officials telling Washington that Syria's new Islamist rulers, backed by Ankara, threaten Israel's borders, sources say.
The lobbying, as the publication notes, points to a concerted Israeli campaign to influence US policy at a critical time for Syria, when the Islamists who overthrew Bashar al-Assad are trying to stabilize the fragmented state and force Washington to lift punitive sanctions.
"Israel conveyed its views to senior 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 talks said.
The main points were also circulated among some senior US officials in an Israeli white paper, two sources said.
"Israel's biggest fear is that Turkey will come in and protect this new Syrian Islamist order, which will then become a base for Hamas and other militants," said Aron Lund, a research fellow at the American think tank Century International.
The sources said it is unclear to what extent the administration of US President Donald Trump is considering accepting Israel's proposals. It has said little about Syria, leaving uncertainty about both the future of sanctions and whether US forces deployed in the northeast will remain, the newspaper said.
Lund said that Israel has a good chance of influencing US thinking, calling the new administration wildly pro-Israel. "Syria is hardly even on Trump's radar right now. It is a low priority and there is a political vacuum that needs to be filled," he said.
Israel is now deeply concerned about Turkey's role as a close ally of Syria's new rulers, three U.S. sources said, describing reports from Israeli officials.
"To deter Turkey, Israeli officials tried to convince U.S. officials that Russia should keep its Mediterranean naval base in Syria's Tartus province and its Hmeymim air base in Latakia province," the sources said.
"When Israeli officials presented Russia's continued presence in a positive light at a meeting with U.S. officials, some participants were surprised, arguing that Turkey, a NATO member, would be a better guarantor of Israel's security," two U.S. sources said.
According to the sources, Israeli officials were "adamant" that this was not the case.
The new Syrian leadership is negotiating with Russia over the fate of military bases.
