Tehran reacts to the reports about alleged Iranian-Israeli negotiations on Syria

Tabnak – Some regional news outlets claimed recently that Iran has had indirect talks with Israel over the situation in southern parts of Syria. Reacting to these reports, Iran says the claims have been made to legitimize the Israeli regime’s illegal activities in the region.

According to a Press TV report, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has dismissed reports by some media outlets about the Islamic Republic holding "indirect negotiations" with the Israeli regime over the Syrian conflict, saying such claims are aimed at distracting public opinion from Israeli atrocities.

"This claim is basically wrong and news fabrication," Qassemi said on Monday. Elaph, a Saudi-owned website, claimed in an unconfirmed report earlier on Monday that Iran and Israel had engaged over the weekend in indirect negotiations in Jordan regarding fighting in southwestern Syria.

Elaph sources also claimed that "the talks with the Israelis were related to fighting in Syria and the nearing campaign in southern Syria, particularly in Dara'a and Quneitra."

The Iranian spokesperson said at a time when some Arab countries are currently betraying the Palestinian cause and undermining decades of Palestinians' resistance, such efforts to fabricate news are carried out to distract the public opinion from Israeli crimes.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran certainly does not officially recognize the fake, terrorist and occupying Israeli regime and the purpose behind such a lie is crystal clear," Qassemi said.

It is not surprising that some Arab-Hebrew websites are making "spiteful" bids and fabricating news in order to distract the world public opinion from the Israeli regime's recent crimes, he added.

Iran has been providing military advisory support to Syria as well as Iraq in their campaign against terrorism at the request of the two countries’ governments. A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that legitimate governments of Iraq and Syria had called for Iran's military advisory presence in their countries in order to help them fight terrorism.

Meanwhile, in another development regarding the situation in southern Syria, Moscow says Russia, the US and Jordan have agreed to hold a meeting in a de-escalation zone they jointly declared last year in that area.

The announcement came one day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that only Syrian government forces should be present on the country’s southern parts, bordering Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Additionally, a senior Jordanian official told Reuters that Amman was discussing developments in southern Syria with Washington and Moscow. The official also noted all three parties had agreed on the need to preserve the safe zone as a key step to accelerating “efforts to reach a political solution” in Syria.

Last July, Russia, the US and Jordan reached a ceasefire and “de-escalation agreement” for Syria’s southern regions aimed at paving the way for a broader truce to end the war.