In honor of Russia’s Independence Day, a traditional reception was held on June 14 in Sergei's Courtyard, a 19th-century complex in Jerusalem built for Russian pilgrims. This annual event usually doesn't attract significant media or governmental attention, but this year, it resembled Israel’s Independence Day more than the typical Russian one. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a large number of government ministers and high-level officials graced the event with their presence, including Jerusalem Affairs and Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin, Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofa Landver and Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi. In addition, this year’s celebration attracted a large number of people in uniform, mainly on the Russian side.

“There were quite a number of high-level Russian generals and military men,” one of the invited guests told Al-Monitor, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “It almost resembled an event of the Red Army with the conspicuous presence of so many men in uniform, including some who serve on the Syrian-Lebanese front. It was almost as if they simply dropped by Israel to meet their Israeli counterparts, taking advantage of the Russian Independence Day event to do so.”

Lt. Gen. Vladimir Ivanovsky, the head of Russia's Military Police Directorate, also attended. His directorate is responsible for enforcing the arrangement on Syria’s southern front agreed to by the United States, Russia and Jordan. Israel continues to emphasize at every possible opportunity that it has no connection to this arrangement, that it is not party to it and that Ivanovsky simply paid a polite, reciprocal visit to Israel after his Israeli counterpart had gone to Moscow. A military source told Al-Monitor, however, that during the visit, Ivanovsky discussed the situation on the Syrian southern front, especially the Golan, with higher-ups in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and in the Israeli security establishment. The Syrian issue tops Israel’s list of priorities.

Before speaking at the Russian diplomatic event, Netanyahu met with Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov in Tel Aviv. The two spoke privately for quite some time, while Russia played the opening match of the FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman could not attend the diplomatic event because he had to participate in a military ceremony of the Kfir Brigade, but as a true soccer fan, he wished the Russian team success, despite the “secret romance” in recent years between Riyadh and Israel.