Russia
With the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the country now falls prey to Iran, Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Hezbollah and other players seeking to control lucrative territory.
It is a low-profile conflict, mostly fought away from the headlines, in which Israel is playing an active defense against Iran’s offensive attempt to set up a war outpost in Syria.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov accused Israel of launching a “provocative” raid consisting of six Israeli F-16 jets simultaneously as two commercial airliners were about to land in the Syrian capital and Beirut.
Secret talks reach understandings with Russia that will enable Israel to retain the freedom to attack Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.
“The fact of the matter is Putin favors Shia forces in the region, no matter how much he presents himself as a neutral broker,” said Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Russia backed Israel’s “Operation Northern Shield” to destroy the Hezbollah tunnels, though it warned against violating the resolution.
Russian Prisoner of Zion Anatoly Altman dies at age 77
Born in Ukraine, Altman was tried for “treason against the homeland” in 1970 after he and several other Russian Jews were arrested by the KGB at the Leningrad airport for “Operation Wedding,” which was an attempt to commandeer a plane and fly it to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not indicate whether the idea was made during his brief encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris.
Hundreds of Jewish youth leaders gather in Kiev for the fifth annual Active Jewish Teens conference.
Just 1 percent of respondents said they have witnessed physical assaults on Jews, while 73 percent said they’ve seen verbal attacks.
If it goes into place, the demand would limit Israel’s freedom of movement and military success in Syria, endangering Israeli pilots and giving Iranian agents based there more time to hide or protect targets.
The United States warned Russia on Sunday about assisting Iranian attempts to evade an upcoming round of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, scheduled to take effect on Nov. 4.
