Israel's defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, assessed that "the Iranians have reduced the scale of their activity in Syria", but cautioned that "they are continuing to negotiate with the Assad government on the creation of garrison outposts in Syria". Lieberman went on to opine that "there is heavy economic pressure on [the Iranians]. The budget for Iranian forces in the Middle East was $2 billion, and even today less money is going to Syria and Hizbollah".