Russian President Vladimir Putin met last night (Monday) with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad in the Kremlin.
During the meeting, Putin sent a message to Assad that he seems to be touching on the Iranian presence in his country.
"The foreign forces stationed in Syria outside the UN resolution are an obstacle to the formation of the country," said the Russian president, who also congratulated his Syrian counterpart on his victory in the presidential election with 95.19% of the vote.
Putin's remarks are another step in the change that has taken place in Russia's attitude toward the Iranian presence in Syria over the past two years.
In recent years, Moscow has signed several agreements with Damascus, which aim to develop Syria in the long term - along with deepening the Russian presence in Syria.
On the other hand, Moscow recognizes that Iran's goal is not to rehabilitate Syria, but to strengthen the axis of Shiite terrorism in the countries surrounding Israel.
The meeting between Putin and Assad took place after Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who was scheduled to visit Moscow with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov, visited Moscow on Thursday.
"Iran's progress towards nuclear capability is not just an Israeli problem - it is a problem for the whole world," said Minister Lapid.
Lapid in his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister: "Iran must be stopped at all costs"
"The message to Iran must be strong and clear. A nuclear Iran will lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The world needs to stop Iran from having nuclear capability, no matter the price. If the world does not do that, Israel reserves the right to act."
He added: "I do not want the impression that all of Minister Lavrov's and mine's talks were about threats and wars. There are deep and strong ties between Russia and Israel that affect the economy, culture, tourism, energy and science. We want and can develop those ties. We need to find new ways to do business and develop cultural and commercial ties. "