Netanyahu-Russia To Meet Tuesday: Syria on Agenda

Netanyahu to meet top Russian diplomats Tuesday, with Syria reportedly on agenda

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Tuesday with visiting top Russian diplomats, his office said Monday.

According to the Ynet news site, Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, will discuss the situation in Syria with the Israeli leader when the three convene.

The two Russia officials arrived in Israel on Monday and met with Foreign Ministry director general Yuval Rotem.

Rotem tweeted a picture of the meeting, saying it was “productive” and included “a meaningful and insightful discussion about a variety of regional issues,” though he did not elaborate.

Held a productive meeting with #Russia's Special Representative for #Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev & Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin.

We had a meaningful & insightful discussion about a variety of regional issues. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/hfmuXpv03f

— Yuval Rotem ???????? (@Yuval_Rotem) January 28, 2019

Israel’s relations with Russia have seen some tensions recently, over Jerusalem’s ongoing campaign of airstrikes on Syria. In recent years, Israel has conducted hundreds of attacks in Syria against targets it says are linked to Iran, which, alongside its proxies and Russia, is fighting on behalf of the regime of President Bashar Assad. Israel has said Tehran is seeking to establish a permanent presence along its northern border, an effort it vows to thwart.

Following a flareup between Iran and Israel over Syria last week, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Israel should stop its “arbitrary” strikes in Syrian territory, which she warned could “provoke a new round of chaos in the Middle East.”