This picture shows Merkava Mark IV tanks during a planned military drill in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on May 7, 2018. (AFP photo)
JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday warned that Israel will take further actions against Iran and its allies in Syria to prevent them from establishing a military foothold in Israel's northern neighborhood.
The remark was made during the government's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu told the ministers that he had talked about that with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the weekend.
"I reiterated our guiding principles regarding Syria. First, Iran needs to withdraw from all of Syria. Second, we will take action -- and are already taking action -- against efforts to establish a military presence by Iran and its proxies," he said.
"We will act against these efforts anywhere in Syria," he said, stressing that Israel could act both close to the border and deep inside Syria.
Israel has carried out fatal airstrikes in Syria, saying the attacks were aimed at halting Iran's effort to establish military presence in Syria and to destroy weapon convoys to the Iran-backed Lebanese military of Hezbollah.
