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Israeli PM due in Moscow to discuss critical issues with Putin

Xinhua, April 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed to Moscow on Thursday morning, set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said.

Netanyahu, expected to return on Thursday night, is to discuss the situation in Syria and weapons sales between Russia and Iran with the Russian President.

This is the third time that both leaders have meet in the past six months. Israeli and Russian military officials have met repeatedly in the past few months to coordinate the two countries' actions around Syria's territory.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the two will talk about the coordination between Israeli and remaining Russian forces in neighboring Syria, in order to prevent accidents, as well as the efforts to sustain a truce in Syria.

Netanyahu had said Israel must make sure its security interests are kept intact following any truce agreement in Syria, fearing that militants remain near the Israeli border.

Another topic which may be discussed is the sale of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems by Russia to Iran.

Netanyahu said Iran poses an "existential threat" to Israel, and opposed the nuclear deal signed between the country and the international community in last July.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the invitation to Netanyahu amid a visit by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to Russia last month, which came several days after the Kremlin said Russia had pulled most of its military forces from Syria, who were deployed there since September 2015.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu faced international criticism, after announcing that the Golan Heights, territories in northern Israel the country occupied from Syria in the 1967 War, are and will always be part of the country. The statement was rebuked by the United States and Germany.

Netanyahu also said that Israel had carried out dozens of airstrikes in Syria in the past years, in order to prevent the transfer of weapons to the Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon.

It was the first time the Israeli official declared Israel's involvement in these attacks, which were attributed to Israel by international media outlets.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have said that Israel would know how to act and "protect its security interests", hinting at the Syrian airstrikes.

However, Israel did not officially intervene in the Syrian civil war, other than supplying medical assistance to injured people who reached the Israeli border, said Israeli officials. Endit