Russia helped remove pro-Iranian forces from Golan Heights - Russian Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. Sept 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The pro-Iranian forces - over 1,000 fighters and 24 multiple rocket launchers - were removed to a safe distance from Israel thanks to Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"A total of 1,050 personnel were removed, as were 24 multiple rocket and tactical missile launchers and 145 units of other weaponry and military hardware," Konashenkov said at a briefing on Sunday.
"Eventually all pro-Iranian forces armed with heavy weapons were removed, with Russian military assistance, from the Golan Heights to eastern Syria more than 140 kilometers, a safe distance for Israel," he said.
Israel had sought to prevent missile attacks on its population by the pro-Iranian forces and asked to sort out their presence in the region, he said.
"Russia held consultations with Iran, which said it did not think an escalation in that region to be right and that it had no aggressive intention against Israel," Konashenkov said.