Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The leaders discussed “Iran, Syria and bilateral relations,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The Kremlin likewise stated they discussed “current issues related to bilateral cooperation in trade, the economy and humanitarian sphere.”
The two men also discussed “matters related to Russian-Israeli cooperation in the Syrian settlement process considering the results of the trilateral meeting between the Russian, Israeli and U.S. security council secretaries held on June 25, 2019.”
“In particular, they emphasized the importance of further cooperation” between the two militaries, Moscow added. The two armies maintain a line of communication to ensure they do not clash while operating in the Middle East.
In the phone conversation, Putin invited Netanyahu to Moscow for the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. Netanyahu has previously attended this parade.
Netanyahu expressed his condolences on the deaths of the 14 Russian submarine crew members who perished recently in the Barents Sea.
The Israeli prime minister last met with Putin in Moscow in April. The two have met and spoken by phone several times during the past years to coordinate activities in Syria, where Russia has placed significant forces and backs Syrian President Basher al Assad’s regime. Jerusalem is interested in Moscow curbing Iran’s operations in the country, as it has significant sway on the events in Syria.
Netanyahu in June hosted in Jerusalem what he termed as “an historic and unprecedented” trilateral meeting between the national security advisers of the U.S., Russia, and Israel.
The three parties are focused on Iran’s presence in Syria, which is perceived as a threat to Israel, and the latest developments on Iran’s aggressive conduct in the region in general.