Netanyahu to Moscow for talks with Putin on Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be heading to Russia next Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Syria expected to top the agenda, Israeli officials said on Wednesday.

Israel is worried about accidentally coming to blows with Russian military reinforcements in Syri, but Israel also made clear it would continue its policy of stopping advanced arms reaching Hezbollah.  

The United States is using Syrian airspace to lead a campaign of air strikes against Islamic State. A greater Russian presence raises the prospect of the Cold War superpower foes encountering each other on the battlefield.

Russia has said it will continue providing military supplies to Syria and that its assistance to the Syrian army is in line with international law.  

The officials said Netanyahu would like to hear from Putin directly about the purpose, scope and expected duration of the Russian deployment in Syria, according to Haaretz.

"The prime minister will present the threats against Israel that arise as a result of the increased flow of advanced weapons into the Syrian arena and the trickle of deadly weapons to Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Russia declined to comment on claims by US officials that it has positioned about a half dozen tanks at a Syrian airfield at the centre of a military build-up.

Russian units have been sent to Syria, along with tanks, radar systems and advanced anti-aircraft missiles. Russian forces have been stationed at a Syrian air force base near Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, raising speculation that they are preparing for the arrival of Russian fighter jets.

US President Barack Obama and Netanyahu, after months of chilly relations, will meet in Washington in November to talk about the Iran nuclear deal, which Israel has harshly criticised and tried unsuccessfully to block.