Israeli military delegation to hold talks in Moscow

MOSCOW – The Russian Defence Ministry says it will host an Israeli military delegation for talks focusing on the situation in Syria.

The ministry said the meeting scheduled for Wednesday follows a weekend phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In September, a Russian reconnaissance plane was hit by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli air raid. All 15 people on board the Russian plane were killed, and the incident badly strained previously warm Russian-Israeli ties.

Israel said it gave Russia advance warning about its strike on a Syrian facility that provided weapons for Iran’s proxy Hezbollah. Russia has claimed the warning came less than a minute before the strike, leaving its aircraft in the line of fire.

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This story has been corrected to show the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, not Tuesday.