Israel secretly negotiated with Russia regarding Iran and Syria during its ceasefire with Tehran, a July 2 report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN suggests.
The talks reportedly began about a week after the June 24 ceasefire, following Moscow’s offer to mediate between Israel and Iran.
While the report provided no specific details about the discussions, it indicated that Israeli officials sought diplomatic solutions involving both Iran and Syria.
Meanwhile, Israel is said to be pursuing a broader agreement with the United States on Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to raise the issue during a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.
According to the report, Israel hopes to outline a framework on Iran similar to the one previously negotiated with Lebanon.
Israel launched air strikes on Iran on June 13, which were halted following a ceasefire announcement by Trump on June 24.
At the time, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Israeli strikes as “categorically unacceptable” and warning that “all the consequences of this provocation will fall on the Israeli leadership.”
But despite the harshly worded condemnation of Israel’s actions, Moscow hasn’t issued any signal that it could offer anything beyond political support to Tehran, despite a partnership treaty between the countries.
Since the ceasefire, Israeli officials have also been discussing the expansion of "normalisation agreements", commonly known as the Abraham Accords.
Reports suggest that indirect negotiations with Syria may be underway as part of this wider regional strategy.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran.
The recent Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, which killed senior generals and scientists, and Tehran’s retaliatory drone and missile attacks present a complex diplomatic test for Moscow, as it maintains strategic ties with both nations.
But it also could open opportunities for Russia to become a power broker to help end the confrontation.
Some observers in Moscow also argued that the focus on the confrontation between Israel and Iran could shift global attention away from the war in Ukraine and serve Russia’s interests by potentially weakening Western support for Kiev.
