PM Netanyahu and his wife Sara leave Moscow for Israel
PM Netanyahu and his wife Sara leave Moscow for IsraelKobi Gideon/GPO

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday told reporters that Israel has "no problem" with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, but Iran's presence in the area is problematic.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure from Moscow, Netanyahu said, "We had no problem with the Assad government. For forty years, not a single missile was fired in the Golan Heights. ISIS and Hezbollah bothered us in Syria, and the situation remained the same. I made a very clear policy that we do not interfere. That hasn't changed."

Netanyahu also said that the Russian government has already succeeded in pushing Iranian forces dozens of kilometers away from Israel's northern border.

Explaining why Israel attacked Syria, he said, "We will be very strict about the separation agreements, and we will not accept any spillover. This was made exceptionally clear."

He also said the US and Russia have come closer together due to the Syrian civil war.

When asked about the possibility of early elections, Netanyahu said that elections should be held "weeks or days" before the scheduled date, but that it "does not depend on him."

On Wednesday, Netanyahu met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Later in the day, the two attended World Cup semi-finals together.