Netanyahu Speaks With Putin Amidst Regional Tensions

Israel’s neighbor to the south, Egypt, suffered blows over the weekend as a senior military officer who had recently overseen the destruction of tunnels used to smuggle weapons and other contraband into the Gaza Strip was assassinated. The incident came amidst a legal and kinetic assault on the Moslem Brotherhood and the Islamic State (IS) terror militia in Egypt, which flared again Sunday in the Sinai Peninsula directly bordering southern Israel. Meanwhile, an Israeli was wounded by gunfire coming from the Egyptian side of the border Tuesday afternoon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the West on several fronts. A Kremlin statement on the phone call said Putin “cordially” congratulated Netanyahu on his birthday, adding “The two leaders exchanged greetings on the occasion of the 25th anniversary [October 18] of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel, and emphasized their interest in further developing multifaceted bilateral cooperation. They also discussed urgent international and regional issues.”