Iran has been given permission to create a naval base in Syria According to reports, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad approved the creation of an Iranian naval base close to the Hmeymim airbase used by Russia’s air force in Syria. While there has been no official confirmation of these reports yet, the issue was raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia Insider reports: Citing Syrian sources, Nezavisimaya Gazeta claims that the deal for an Iranian base in Syria has already been made: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has given the go-ahead to the deployment of an Iranian naval base close to the Hmeymim airbase used by Russia’s Aerospace Forces to carry out airstrikes against the Islamic State (terror group, outlawed in Russia), some media reports said citing Syrian sources. There is no official confirmation of these reports yet, but the issue was raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. Summing up the outcome of his meeting with the Russian leader, Netanyahu told reporters that Tehran’s efforts to ensure its permanent presence in Syria chiefly motivated him to visit Moscow. [...]