Today Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reason for this short diplomatic mission is the security threat posed to Israel by Russia’s recent military aid to the regime of Syria’s official dictator, President Bashar Assad.
The Syrian civil war has raged for over four years, creating a dilemma for Israel. What began as an Arab Spring uprising in 2011 created an opportunity for the Islamic State group to join the rebels against the Assad regime and begin consolidating power along Israel’s northern border. The civil war is not a conflict between freedom fighters and oppression. It is a war between Assad’s brutal but secular dictatorship and hard-line Islamic terrorists determined to implement a religious caliphate. There are no good guys anymore. The Syrians who wanted freedom have been quashed and pushed aside or forced to flee their country. This leaves Israel in a position of watching two evil forces fight for control, knowing that whoever ultimately wins will soon turn their military against Israel.
Into the fray stepped Russia within recent weeks, giving military support to President Assad in an effort to quell Islamic State forces. Iran, too, has supported the Assad regime against the Islamic State rebels. Unfortunately, the Assad regime also supplies, funds, trains, and cooperates with terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. Therefore, Russia’s support is also a de facto alliance with Hezbollah and the other terrorist groups allied with Assad.
Netanyahu knows that he cannot convince Russian President Putin to stay out of Syria. Russia’s interests there will trump any concern for Israel. However, Netanyahu does hope to work out a plan with Putin that allows Israel to take necessary military action against Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and any complicit Syrian forces when they strike against Israel – without endangering Russian troops and accidentally provoking Russian retaliation.
This is a tricky situation for Israel. The border with Syria must be controlled and protected at all costs. Too many Israeli citizens live within range of missiles lobbed from Syrian territory. Israeli troops have come under repeated attack by Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Syrian forces as they take advantage of the chaos in Syria to hurt Israel and claim it was “accidental crossfire.” The IDF has responded quickly and harshly against these attacks in order to discourage further incidents, and must continue to do so. Now Russia is in the way.
On his trip to Moscow, Prime Minister Netanyahu also took two top IDF commanders – a highly unusual move that highlights the urgency of the situation. He cannot afford to leave Russia without having convinced Putin to cooperate with Israel in keeping Russian forces from interfering or shielding enemy forces from Israel’s defensive actions.
In the initial meeting with Putin, the two leaders made public remarks before retiring to private discussions.
Netanyahu said:
Israel and Russia share a common interest to ensure stability in the Middle East. And I am here because of the security situation which is becoming ever more complex on our northern border. As you know, in recent years, and particularly in recent months, Iran and Syria have been arming the extremist Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah with advanced weapons, aimed at us, and over the years thousands of rockets and missiles have been fired against our cities. At the same time, Iran, under the auspices of the Syrian army, is attempting to build a second terrorist front against us from the Golan Heights.
Our policy is to prevent these weapons transfers, and to prevent the creation of a terrorist front and attacks on us from the Golan Heights. Under these circumstances, I thought it was very important that I come here, also to clarify our policies, and to make sure that there is no misunderstanding between our forces.
President Putin offered these assurances:
All of Russia’s actions in the region will always be very responsible. We are aware of the shelling against Israel and we condemn all such shelling. I know that these shellings are carried out by internal elements. In regard to Syria, we know that the Syrian army is in a situation such that it is incapable of opening a new front. Our main goal is to defend the Syrian state. However, I understand your concern and I am very pleased that you have come here to discuss all issues in detail.
UPDATE: After the three-hour meeting between Netanyahu’s team and the Russians concluded, they announced a satisfactory deal between the two nations. Below is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement on the success of his mission to Russia.
The conversation revolved, first of all, on the issue that I raised regarding Syria, which is very important to the security of Israel. The conversation was substantive. A joint mechanism for preventing misunderstandings between our forces was also agreed to.
[…]
I would say that the importance of preventing misunderstandings is very big. Israel is constantly working to prevent the transfer of advanced and deadly weaponry from Syrian territory to Hezbollah. Israel is not prepared to accept a second terrorist front that Iran is trying build on the Golan Heights. Israel is taking action and when it does so it is important for everyone, including Russia, to know how we are taking action. It is no less important in order to prevent misunderstandings, and it is worthwhile to do so before they occur and not afterward.
