IDF deputy chief to meet Russian counterpart in Tel Aviv

Announcement comes a day after Russian fighter jets launch first wave of air strikes in Syria.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Updated: OCTOBER 4, 2015 01:39
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and armed forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov observe troops during a training exercise (photo credit: REUTERS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and armed forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov observe troops during a training exercise
(photo credit: REUTERS)
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan will meet with his Russian counterpart, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Bogdanovski, at General Staff Headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
The meeting is the first by a joint working group set up between the IDF and Russian Armed Forces, to coordinate Syria-related activities in the aerial, naval and electromagnetic arenas, and avoid inadvertent clashes.
The announcement came a day after the Russian Air Force launched its first wave of strikes on Syrian rebels, sparking alarm in the West, which has cast doubt on Russian claims that ISIS was the target.
Bogdanovski will lead a Russian military delegation on a two-day visit to Israel, and will discuss regional coordination, the IDF said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen.
Gadi Eisenkot returned from a one-day visit to Moscow, where they held intensive meetings with their counterparts about Russia’s newly expanded military role in Syria.
According to international media reports, the Israel Air Force has launched multiple air strikes in Syria in recent years to intercept Iranian and Syrian weapons that were on the way to Hezbollah storage facilities in Lebanon, and carries out intensive intelligence monitoring of activities in Syria.
Israel had shared concerns with Russia that those types of activities could be compromised if military coordination is not put into place soon.
In Russia, Eisenkot met with his Russian counterpart, Gen.
Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov.
Eisenkot also participated in part of the meeting held between Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Afterwards, the two sides agreed to set up a joint working group led by the deputy chiefs of staff from each country, which will meet every two weeks.