Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with meet Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov to discuss regional developments following his  meeting in Moscow earlier this month with President Vladimir Putin, and following the Russian president’ s meeting with US President Donald Trump on July 11.

Speaking before the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he would continue to stress Israel’s security needs, and noted that the country’s demands have not changed in recent months.

“The Russian delegation is coming at the request of President Putin, following my talks with him during my last visit to Moscow, to talk about a host of regional issues, starting with Syria. (Our) stance is that the separation of forces agreement between Israel and Syria must be honored in full, as it was for decades before the Syrian civil war began. Israel will continue to act to scuttle every attempt by Iran and its proxies to become entrenched militarily in Syria,” Netanyahu said.

The premier also added a word of praise for US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying their aggressive stance vis-à-vis Iran would result in a changed international reality for the Islamic Republic.

“For years, the superpowers have coddled this regime. It is good to see the United States changing this bad equation,” he said.