Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya
Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily NebenzyaReuters

Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, confirmed to journalists on Friday that to his understanding, an agreement has been reached between Israel and Russia about removing Iranian forces from the Syrian-Israeli border.

"I can't respond whether the agreement is already being implemented on the ground, but the sides involved in the process are satisfied. If it hasn't happened on the ground yet, it will in the near future," he said, according to Yediot Aharonot.

Earlier this week, Russia declared that all non-Syrian forces operating on the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria frontier should be removed.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signaled that his country had accepted Israel’s long-time demand that Iranian forces not be allowed to operate near the Israeli frontier.

“Of course, the withdrawal of all non-Syrian forces must be carried out on a mutual basis, this should be a two-way street,” Lavrov added.

On Thursday, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Iranian forces were preparing to withdraw from southern Syria, pulling back away from the Israeli border.

According to the organization, Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces and Iranian-backed Shiite groups, including the Hezbollah terror organization, are preparing for a mass-withdrawal from the border area.

Earlier on Friday, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported that the Iranian forces will initially pull back its forces to within 20 kilometers of the border, and later to a range of 60 to 70 kilometers, with Russia underlining the fact that this was a gradual process.

In addition, Russia has reportedly given Israel a "green light" on operating in Syria's territory under the condition it will not harm Syrian regime centers, said the newspaper.

The agreement between Israel and Russia comes after Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu on Thursday to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran's presence there.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)