The fact that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and Military Intelligence Directorate head Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi will take part in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting in Moscow on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin indicates that this will be a matter-of-fact affair. Netanyahu will not be trying to convince Putin to stay out of the fray in Syria. Rather, the prime minister will be seeking to delineate boundaries, with the goal of preventing friction between the Israeli and Russian militaries. Both Israel and Russia want to avoid an inadvertent clash in Syria. On this matter, Israel must tread very carefully. Caution is of the utmost importance. Nevertheless, Israel cannot allow its red lines to be crossed. Israel's red lines on Russia may be different than they are on the Islamic State group, Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, yet these red lines still must be respected. The purpose of the presence of Eizenkot and Halevi in Moscow is to clarify to the Russians what these red lines are. Russia's military deployment in Syria, including the stationing of Sukhoi fighter jets there, is just one more dilemma facing Israel across its northeastern border. Israel has had no one to root for in the Syrian civil war, given that the choice is between two genocidal entities -- the Assad regime and Islamic State. If there was a guarantee that a Russian military presence just over the border in Syria would lead to the defeat of Islamic State and the severing of ties between the Iranian and Syrian regimes, then Israel could consent to it. But past experience (namely, the Soviet Union's influence on the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War) shows we must be wary. All this comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Russia and the U.S. If the next American president -- whether Republican or Democrat -- takes a harder line against Russia, Israel might find itself as a frontline Western outpost in a battle against Putin. This is not something Israel should wish for. Israel's task now is to reach understandings with Russia regarding the foreseeable future in Syria. Let us hope that Russia will not sink in the deserts of Syria, as this could have negative ramifications for Israel.
