MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Israel categorically opposes the ceasefire agreement in southern Syria reached by Moscow and Washington as it will give an opportunity for Iran to expand its presence in the region, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper said on Sunday citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the newspaper, the prime minister told this to French President Emmanuel Macron at their meeting in Paris earlier in the day.

Apart from that, the newspaper cited a senior Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying that Israel is aware of Iran’s plans to expand its military presence in Syria. According to the Israeli authorities, Iran plans to deploy an airbase and a naval base in Syria and send its military advisers and a military contingent to that country. "This already changes the picture in the region from what it has been up to now," the official was quoted as saying.

A ceasefire agreement for southern Syria was reached by Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, at their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit in Germany’s Hamburg on July 7.

Earlier, Netanyahu said Israel would hail real cessation of hostilities in Syria.