Russian President Vladimir Putin. Illustrative. Photo courtesy of the office of the President of Russia.
With Israel reportedly in the skies over Syria striking weapons bound for terrorists and Russia in the same skies defending the Syrian regime in that country’s civil war, coordination has been key to avoid tragic wartime mistakes. And that’s not the only reason why the top leaders of Israel and Russia will be meeting this week. According to a report from The Times of Israel, the American-Russian mediated Syrian ceasefire is of particular concern to Israel.
The reason for that concern? Iran. The report noted that Israel is alarmed that Iran is seeking to establish a physical base in Syria. The Times of Israel said that such a situation would help enable Iran to develop a contiguous corridor from Iran to Lebanon, traveling via allies in Iraq and Syria. With Iranian-sponsored-terrorist-group Hezbollah in Lebanon, such a land link poses multiple concerns.
In the meantime, the reason publicly announced in an Israeli press release regarding the meeting with Russia is to coordinate their air forces in Syria, in addition to discussing “the latest developments in the region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Wednesday, according to the press release from Netanyahu’s office.
Said the press release, “In the past two years Prime Minister Netanyahu has met with Russian President Putin every few months in order to discuss bilateral and regional issues and in order to prevent friction between the Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria, so far successfully.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, August 20, 2017)