Knesset Speaker in Russia: There Is ‘Tension’ Over Iran, Syria

Yuli Edelstein
AP/Sebastian Scheiner

The Times of Israel reports: MOSCOW — Meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Tuesday, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein acknowledged “tension” over Syria and Iran, as the two parliamentary leaders hailed increasingly friendly ties between Moscow and Jerusalem.

Both Russia and Iran are backing Syrian President Bashar Assad in the ongoing civil war. Despite being allied with Tehran, Moscow coordinates its air space with Israel over Syria when the IDF carries out periodic airstrikes on weapons arms convoys by Lebanese terror group and Iran proxy Hezbollah. Israel has also reportedly sought Russia’s help in preventing Iran from gaining a foothold on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which abuts Israel’s border.

As part of the coordination efforts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has traveled to Moscow several times for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the past two years, as well as numerous phone calls. The prime minister also traveled to Russia to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations in 2016, in a visit that was seen as marking a warming of ties.

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