Russia says it has no dog in any Israeli-Iranian fight inside Syria:
Russia cannot compel Iranian forces to quit Syria, Moscow's ambassador to Tel Aviv said on Monday, rebuffing Israel's long-standing demand that it should work to ensure their total withdrawal from the country.
Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said Moscow could equally do nothing to prevent Israeli military strikes against Iranian forces in Syria, which along with Russia and Tehran-backed Lebanese militias are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in combating rebel fighters.
Assad is in a tougher position because he surely wants Iran out of Syria once the rebel threat to Assad is finished; yet can't allow Israel to openly violate Syria's territorial integrity without trying to stop it.
