Israeli Foreign Ministry Unaware About Plans to Expel Russian Diplomats

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told Sputnik that he did not have any information about Israel's possible plans to expel Russian diplomats over Moscow's alleged involvement in the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK city of Salisbury.

"I do not know anything about the existence of such plans," Nahshon said.

The spokesman referred the question about possible expulsion of Russian diplomats from the country to the Israeli prime minister's office, but no response has been received from the office so far.

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On Monday, a total of 16 EU countries, as well as the United States, Canada, Albania, Norway, Ukraine, Macedonia, and Australia announced their decisions to expel about 100 Russian diplomats in total in connection with Moscow's alleged involvement in Skripal's poisoning.

Skripal, a former Russian GRU colonel who then worked for the UK Mi6, and his daughter Yulia have been in hospital in a critical condition since March 4. London believes that the Skripals were exposed to the A234 nerve agent, which UK experts have claimed is related to the nerve agents developed in the Soviet Union. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack and expelled 23 Russian diplomats, while the European Union has expressed its solidarity with London.

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The Russian side has strongly rejected the accusations and offered assistance in the investigation. Moscow's request for samples of the chemical substance used to poison Skripal was rejected. Moscow expelled UK diplomats in response and ordered the British Council to cease its activities in Russia.