Russian, Israeli General Staff Members to Meet on Syria in Moscow

The Russian and Israeli military, who began talks on coordination in Syria this week in Tel Aviv, will continue meetings in the next few weeks in Moscow, the Israeli Army’s press service said Friday.

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – “Another work meeting will be held in the next few weeks in Moscow,” the army’s press service said.

Russia’s First Deputy head of the General Staff Nikolai Bogdanovsky held behind closed doors meetings in Israel for two days this week. At the end of the meeting, Israeli representatives said only that a discussion on developing “a system of security measures between the Israeli and Russian armed forces operating in the region” was held.

In the last months, the Israeli Air Force has carried out a number of airstrikes in Syrian territory, explained as retaliation for rocket fire attributed to militants and on alleged Hezbollah weapon convoys.

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-25, Su-24M and Su-34 attack aircraft, with the support of Su-30 jets, commenced precision airstrikes against the positions of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Last month, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow, Israel and Russia agreed to set up a mechanism to coordinate military actions in Syria.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said the military contacts between Russian and Israeli chiefs of staffs should “arrange deconfliction” as two states have “different goals” in Syria “that should not clash”.