Russian Military Intel Chief Reportedly in Israel Before Summit
(MENAFN) A Russian military aircraft that touched down late Sunday at Ben Gurion Airport was carrying senior officials, among them Igor Kostyukov, head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, Israel’s public broadcaster reported Monday.
The plane left for Abu Dhabi on Monday, the broadcaster said, adding “the United States is scheduled to hold a peace summit in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, which will be attended by senior officials from Russia and Ukraine.”
Citing an unnamed foreign source, the broadcaster said “the aircraft was carrying senior Russian officials, including the head of Russian military intelligence, who arrived in Israel at the request of the US to hold talks with senior Israeli security officials.” It offered no further details.
Israeli and Russian officials stayed silent. “The Israeli military spokesperson, the prime minister’s office and the Russian Embassy in Israel all declined to comment on the matter,” the broadcaster added. Abu Dhabi has not yet commented.
The broadcaster first disclosed the landing late Sunday, identifying the aircraft as a Tupolev Tu-154 used to ferry senior officials and military personnel. It called the flight “unusual,” saying nothing like it had been seen in recent years. At that point, it named no passengers and gave no reason for the visit.
According to the broadcaster, the plane took off from Chkalovsky Air Base near Moscow and landed at Ben Gurion at about 9 pm local time (1900GMT) Sunday.
Past military talks between Israel and Russia centered on Russian forces in Syria, the broadcaster said, noting that the two militaries built a coordination mechanism to prevent friction near Israel’s borders. Moscow has sharply scaled back its Syrian footprint in recent years, particularly since the Russia-Ukraine war erupted, and has lately begun pulling troops and equipment out of Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia.
The broadcaster also pointed to Russia’s strategic ties with Iran amid Tehran’s ongoing standoff with the US. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, visited Moscow five days earlier and met President Vladimir Putin, with talks touching on the US-Iran conflict, among other topics. The broadcaster reported no connection between that visit and the Russian aircraft’s arrival in Israel.
The war began Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. A ceasefire took hold in April, but fighting between the US and Iran resumed in July after negotiations stalled.
The plane left for Abu Dhabi on Monday, the broadcaster said, adding “the United States is scheduled to hold a peace summit in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, which will be attended by senior officials from Russia and Ukraine.”
Citing an unnamed foreign source, the broadcaster said “the aircraft was carrying senior Russian officials, including the head of Russian military intelligence, who arrived in Israel at the request of the US to hold talks with senior Israeli security officials.” It offered no further details.
Israeli and Russian officials stayed silent. “The Israeli military spokesperson, the prime minister’s office and the Russian Embassy in Israel all declined to comment on the matter,” the broadcaster added. Abu Dhabi has not yet commented.
The broadcaster first disclosed the landing late Sunday, identifying the aircraft as a Tupolev Tu-154 used to ferry senior officials and military personnel. It called the flight “unusual,” saying nothing like it had been seen in recent years. At that point, it named no passengers and gave no reason for the visit.
According to the broadcaster, the plane took off from Chkalovsky Air Base near Moscow and landed at Ben Gurion at about 9 pm local time (1900GMT) Sunday.
Past military talks between Israel and Russia centered on Russian forces in Syria, the broadcaster said, noting that the two militaries built a coordination mechanism to prevent friction near Israel’s borders. Moscow has sharply scaled back its Syrian footprint in recent years, particularly since the Russia-Ukraine war erupted, and has lately begun pulling troops and equipment out of Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia.
The broadcaster also pointed to Russia’s strategic ties with Iran amid Tehran’s ongoing standoff with the US. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, visited Moscow five days earlier and met President Vladimir Putin, with talks touching on the US-Iran conflict, among other topics. The broadcaster reported no connection between that visit and the Russian aircraft’s arrival in Israel.
The war began Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. A ceasefire took hold in April, but fighting between the US and Iran resumed in July after negotiations stalled.
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