Russia’s strategic vision for Israel
Russia considers itself a potential major partner to Israel and a key player in bringing stabilization to the Middle East.
On Feb. 11, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, stated that Iran is considering providing its air space to Russian military jets in order to support Syrian government ground operations.
The news bothered Israel, which a few days before the announcement had signaled its concern about ties between Moscow and Tehran. In an effort to calm the mood, Russian Ambassador to Israel Alexander Shein noted, “On the whole, the role of Russia in Syria is accepted by our Israeli colleagues with understanding. The only reservation they have is for them it would be best if there were US-Russian rather than Iranian-Russian cooperation in surmounting the Syrian crisis and fighting terrorism in the Middle East.” He said that Israel drew its own red lines, which is the transfer of modern weapons to Hezbollah and the “creation of an anti-Israel platform in the Golan Heights that would involve both the group and Iran.”
