Netanyahu's message to Putin
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a timely move. To some extent, it may even be a little too late.
The Russian sale of modern missiles to Syria has been problematic throughout the 13-year reign of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But in recent years, with the civil war currently raging in Syria, the problem has become more severe as Assad willingly, or under Iranian pressure, transfers these modern weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The problem facing the international community is growing more pressing in light of what has now become a casus belli for Israel, which has declared in no uncertain terms that it will not allow strategic weapons to end up in the hands of terror organizations such as Hezbollah. Since Assad chose to ignore Israel's warning, the response was (according to foreign reports) airstrikes against Syrian targets, launched in January and again in May, which gave credence to the Israeli threat.
If it wants to continue making good on its threat, Israel has no choice but to prevent Assad from obtaining Russian missile batteries, which could subsequently fall into the hands of terror organizations in Syria or Assad's extremist successors or even be smuggled to Lebanon into the hands of Hezbollah. Israel will not be able to avoid action, nor will it want to, seeing as this time the weapons are advanced Russian missiles.
Israel has never sought a confrontation with the Russian bear, not even when the former Soviet Union backed Egypt and Syria against Israel some 40 years ago. Back then, Israel turned a blind eye to Soviet air force activity in the region. Then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan was the one who stopped the top Israel Defense Forces brass when they were eager to shoot down the Russian-made MiG aircraft that were challenging Israel's full control over the Sinai Peninsula.
"We have to keep our ears to the ground," Dayan insisted, and only barely approved the battle that ended up downing the Russian aircraft.
The logic that guided Dayan in 1973 has not changed, even though our current military and diplomatic reality is vastly different. Russia is no longer the Soviet Union, and the diplomatic and economic relationship between Jerusalem and Moscow is different than it was. Still, the IDF has no interest in confrontation.
Netanyahu's primary task is to communicate a two-fold message to Putin: that Israel is committed to preventing the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah and their deployment on Syrian soil where they can target Israeli aircraft, especially now that Syria is so divided and lacking any stable, central government; and that all of Israel's desire to avoid confrontation with Russia will not keep it from fulfilling this commitment.
This message is complex, serious, delicate and fraught with threats, but Israel does not have an alternative to present Putin. The Kremlin, too, needs to think before acting.
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