Iran’s military presence in Syria was raised during consultations at the international meeting on Syria in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, a source close to the talks informed TASS news agency. "This issue was raised. The parties have different approaches to some details related to Iran’s presence in Syria," the source said on Tuesday. The source didn’t give further details. Russia’s ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, said in an interview Monday that Moscow cannot force Iranian forces to withdraw from Syria, despite Israeli calls for such pullout. Viktorov said Moscow could equally do nothing to prevent Israeli military strikes against Iranian forces in Syria, which along with Russia and Tehran-backed Lebanese factions are supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad in combating rebel fighters. Last week an Israeli official said Russia had offered to keep Iranian forces at least 100 km from the Golan Heights ceasefire line. The offer came up during a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, but Israel rejected it as insufficient, the official said. Viktorov defended the Iranians presence in Syria. "They are playing a very, very important role in our common and joint effort to eliminate terrorists in Syria. That is why, for this period of time, we see as non-realistic any demands to expel any foreign troops from the entirety of" Syria, he said. "We can talk with our Iranian partners very frankly and openly, trying to persuade them to do or not to do something," he said. But asked whether Russia can force Iran out, he answered: "We cannot." A military hotline Israel and Russia set up in 2015 has also helped the countries avoid inadvertently clashing over Syria. Viktorov expressed disapproval of the attacks on Syria, but added: "We cannot dictate to Israel how to proceed ... It is not up to Russia to give Israel freedom to do anything, or to prohibit Israel to do anything." “We agreed that on the other side of the border, there will only be regular units of the Syrian army,” the diplomat said. “The priority is to secure the State of Israel… These are not empty words for Russian foreign policy.”