By Ilan Berman, Al-Hurra Digital— What a difference four years can make. In the Fall of 2015, Russia’s government made the decision to formally launch a military offensive in support of the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Back then, the Kremlin’s regional position was profoundly weak. After a period of protracted post-Cold War decline,…
By DEBKAfile— The IDF launched an unannounced military-air exercise in northen Israel Monday April 18. It will also be held in the Jordan valley, strategically located south of the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. Despite the official explanation that the drills are part of the IDF’s training schedule for 2016, it is difficult…
By Suman Varandani, International Business Times— Russia will begin the first shipment of the S-300 air defense missile system to Iran in the coming days, Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian diplomat as saying Tuesday. “I don’t know if this will happen today, but they (S-300 missiles) will be loaded (for shipment to Iran),”…
By Jonathan Benedek, Breaking Israel News— President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to Moscow this week looks to be another sign of growing cooperation between Israel and Russia. It also comes against the backdrop of Russia’s military withdrawal from Syria, announced earlier this week, But while that withdrawal may bring change to Syria, the Israeli-Russian relationship looks…
By Josh Cohen, JPOST— Love or hate him, the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military intervention in Syria unquestionably upended Middle Eastern politics. Putin supported Syrian President Bashar Assad, established several military bases in Syria, created a de-facto Russian-Shi’ite axis, confronted Turkey and forced the West to re-engage with him. While all the region’s major players…
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Breaking Israel News— In the long history of Jews in Russia, the government has rarely been an ally, and often been the source of persecution. Current Russian president Vladimir Putin, however, is a powerful exception, with Jews playing a significant role in his personal history and his inner circle. With the…
By: Ben Caspit, ALMONITOR— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked Sept. 21 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an unusual, perhaps even unprecedented move, Netanyahu took Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot as well as military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi with him. In general, Israeli prime ministers…
By: HERB KEINON, JPOST— IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi will accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a lightning trip to Moscow on Monday, in a clear signal that regional arms transfers and Russia’s troop deployments in Syria will be the main focus of the discussions. Top IDF generals…
By CAROLINE B. GLICK, JPOST— Trading horses with Putin This week US President Barack Obama informed Jewish leaders that he plans to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on November 9. Yawn. After 42 Democratic senators spent September 11 blocking their Senate colleagues from voting on Obama’s nuclear deal with the world’s leading state sponsor…
By EU Times-— A stunning report circulating in the Kremlin today prepared by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) states that President Barack Obama’s “unexpected” telephone call to President Putin yesterday not only thanked the Federation’s leader for the nations help in reaching a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) agreement with Iran, but…