Just over 24 hours after the dramatic Moscow meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a weapons depot was bombed south of Damascus. The strike, attributed to the Israeli air force, was the first of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. It is unclear whether the raid in the pre-dawn hours of March 7 was directly linked to the March 5 Moscow meeting, but events in this region tend to be intertwined. As of now, Israel's mediation moves, with Bennett a would-be Henry Kissinger, have not yielded tangible results, but they have placed Israel’s relatively inexperienced and politically challenged prime minister in the big leagues.
The trip to Moscow was a clandestine operation. Joining Bennett was Construction and Housing Minister Zeev Elkin, who served as an interpreter, just as he did for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at all his meetings with Putin since 2009. Ukraine-born Elkin was a Soviet dissident on the KGB’s radar who moved to Israel with the union's collapse. Elkin is one of Israel and the West's politicians most familiar with Putin after logging many hours, both formal and informal, with him and studying him up close.
One can assume that Western intelligence agencies have obtained the small Israeli delegation’s impressions of Putin following their return to Israel. Immediately upon Bennett’s return, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made an unscheduled trip to Riga, Latvia, to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Lapid is believed to have shared detailed information and impressions from the Moscow visit. “Given the state of global crisis, a war that could turn into a world war and nuclear arsenals placed on alert, receiving firsthand information and direct impressions from people who have met with relevant leaders is of paramount importance,” a former Israeli intelligence official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
Such an assessment, if delivered, is unlikely to have been optimistic. Putin is thought to be focused and determined and contrary to some speculation, is not delusional or out of control.
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