Israel taking Iran threat ‘seriously’: Prime minister

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said his country was taking the threat posed by Iran “seriously”, according to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office.

"Israel takes the Iranian threat seriously; this is the lesson of our history," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Israeli government has repeatedly said that expanding Iranian influence in neighboring Syria constituted a “red line” for the self-proclaimed Jewish state.

"We have made it clear many times that we will not accept nuclear weapons in Iranian hands,” Netanyahu said last week.

“Nor will we allow concentrations of Iranian forces near our border, in the Syrian region in general, or anywhere else,” he added.

Earlier Monday, Netanyahu met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin at the prime minister’s office in West Jerusalem, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.

The two men reportedly discussed bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of technology, cyber-security and agriculture.

Prior to his meeting with Netanyahu, the Ukrainian foreign minister also held talks with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara