Despite Iran’s statements that the country has only been providing military advisory support to Bashar al-Assad’s government, senior Israeli officials have on numerous occasions said that Tel Aviv will not let Tehran gain a military foothold in Syria, Sputnik reported.

In light of the strained relations between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Vladimir Putin on July 11 to yet again state that Tel Aviv will not tolerate Iran’s entrenchment in Syria.

“This week I will fly to Moscow for an important meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We meet from time-to-time in order to ensure security coordination and, of course, to discuss regional development,” he said.

He further stated that he would emphasize the two “basic principles” of Israel’s policy at the meeting:

“First, we will not tolerate the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies anywhere in Syria – not close to the border and far away from it. Second, we will demand that Syria, and the Syrian military, strictly uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement*,” he said.