Israel will counter Iran's actions in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on May 9 after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"[Iranians] are trying to transfer forces and deadly weapons there with the explicit goal of attacking the state of Israel as part of their strategy to destroy the state of Israel," Netanyahu told the media after the talks.

Netanyahu added that he had told Putin that "it is Israel's right to take such steps as are necessary to defend itself against this aggression."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government accused Israel of conducting a missile strike near Damascus on May 8. The objective is believed to have been a base for Iranian fighters allied with the Syrian government.



Moscow had condemned an earlier air strike that killed seven Iranians in Syria on April 9.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Putin discussed the Israeli air strikes in Syria with his Security Council, the Kremlin said.

There was a "detailed exchange of opinions" about the situation in Syria, "including nighttime air strikes conducted by Israel," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia and Iran are Assad's main allies in Syria's civil war.

Netanyahu's visit to Moscow coincided with Russia's celebration of the anniversary of Nazi Germany's capitulation in World War II.

Netanyahu, Putin, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attended a ceremony together at the eternal flame just outside the Kremlin.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa