Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel has tried to minimize criticism over Moscow. The main reason for this cautious approach was the Russian military presence and involvement with Syria. A few years ago, Israel established communication channels with the Russians in order to avoid confrontations in Syrian skies. Thus, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had vowed to continue the path taken by his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu of preserving and cultivating special relations with the Kremlin. During the first weeks of the fighting, Bennett even engaged in mediation attempts between Moscow and Kyiv.

Still, judging by developments in recent days, it seems that Russia is seeking to escalate tensions with Israel. Reports on June 19 said that Russia is now circulating a draft for a United Nations Security Council resolution that will condemn Israel over an alleged strike last week on the Damascus airport. The draft blames the attack on Israel, saying that it undermines regional stability and goes against international law.

Jerusalem estimates that the resolution will not pass, as it needs to be accepted by all permanent Security Council members. The United States, France and Great Britain are likely to veto it. Still, the mere proposal sends a clear and unpleasant Russian message toward Israel.

On June 10, Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported heavy damage to the Damascus international airport, following aerial attacks it attributed to Israel. Quoting Syrian officials, SANA said, “Landing and departing flights were suspended today till further notification as a result of the Israeli aggression, since it caused heavy damages to the airstrips in several localities and to the navigation lights in addition to the damages [that] occurred in the airport lobby.” Satellite images confirmed the significant damage caused to the airport.