Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in Moscow

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Moscow today where he will discuss the Syrian crisis with President Vladimir Putin. Israel has asked Russia not to sell Syria an advanced air defence system, the S-300, while Russia opposes military intervention in Syria and criticised Israeli air strikes in Syria this month.

Israeli sources claim the strikes were aimed solely at stopping weapons being transferred to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic war of words between Damascus and the Turkish government intensified on Monday when Syria’s Information Minister branded the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a “murderer” and blamed Turkey for the deadly car bombings near the Syrian border that killed 46 people on Saturday.

“All responsibility for what has happened lies with the Turkish government and Erdogan personally,” Russian TV channel RT quoted Omran Zubi as saying in an interview with its Arabic-language channel.

“I demand his resignation as a murderer and an executioner. He has no right to build a political career on the blood of the Turkish and Syrian people.”

Reuters