Starting next summer, Russia and Israel will conduct their very first joint military exercise over the Mediterranean, according to Israeli website DEBKAfile.
This was agreed upon during a meeting in Moscow on July 7 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Russia will use its naval port in Tartous and the Hmeimim Airbase in Latakia to coordinate the exercise with Israel, which will use its military facilities in Asdood and Haifa.
Russian companies have also been given permits to build improvements on two gas field in Israel while Putin has promised to protect the Jewish state’s energy interests in the region.
Long-term, the agreement with Russia will help Israel become less dependent on the United States, the main ally of Israel since its inception.
However, the move will likely anger Damascus which remains at a state of war with Israel following its annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights in 1981.
Israel and Syria went to war in 1948, 1967 and 1973; the two countries have never signed a peace treaty.
1.8K 22 14 - 1.9KShares
Be Civil
This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Please treat this discussion with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
Make it better
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
Now the hard part!
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.