AS RUSSIAN FLEET APPROACHES, NETANYAHU AND PUTIN TALK - Brian Schrauger JERUSALEM JOURNAL

AS RUSSIAN FLEET APPROACHES, NETANYAHU AND PUTIN TALK

 by  Brian Schrauger

 JERUSALEM JOURNAL  Monday, October 24, 2016

 News and Views

As Russia's Northern Fleet approaches Syria, and hence Israel, Putin and Netanyahu found time to talk by phone. Topics included birthday greetings to Netanyahu and 25 years of relations between the countries. According to the Kremlin, "they also discussed urgent international and regional issues."

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Last Friday was the 67th birthday of Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. How many world leaders sent birthday greetings is unknown. One nation, however, publicized a personal call. According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladamir Putin phoned and "cordially congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on his birthday and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot that is celebrated these days."

In classic diplospeak, Moscow added, "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."

It is virtually certain, however, that the real purpose of the call was in the announcement's final sentence, a terse eight words:

They also discussed urgent international and regional issues.

Although neither country revealed the specific nature of those issues, some of them, at least, are not difficult to infer.

Russia continues to escalate its military role across Israel's northeast border in Syria. Much to NATO's consternation last week, Russia's entire Northern Fleet passed through the English Channel, only miles from the European continent on the one hand and the United Kingdom on the other.

While, in part, Moscow's deployment of the Northern Fleet was intended to rattle Europe's doors, it is virtually certain that its destination is a place Mediterranean where, in accordance with its primary purpose, it will be in firing range, and flight range, of Syria. The inclusion of Russia's largest aircraft carrier in the fleet, the Admiral Kuznetsov, indicates the potential for even greater warplane traffic in Syria's already crowded skies.

One of Israel's concerns is avoiding accidental conflict with Russian jets as it carries out its own missions in the area, especially in Syria. Since Russia made its superpower play, moving into Syria just over a year ago, Israel has clarified to Moscow that it maintains the right to target Iranian arms shipments Hezbollah. Based in Lebanon, another neighbor to Israel's north, the so-called "party of Allah" is Israel's sworn enemy. Already armed with upwards of 150,000 missiles to use in a promised war with Israel, Jerusalem is not willing to see the arsenal further grow. It also is unwilling to permit missile armaments in Syria's portion of the Golan heights, immediately across Israel's border in that portion of the Golan under its control.

Another probable concern by Israeli leaders is the potential for conflict between its "greatest ally," the United States, and its "latest ally," Russia. A recent words between the two countries has provoked fears of a military conflict between them in the Middle East. The United States is currently providing military assistance to Iraqi forces in their attempt to re-take the city of Mosul from Islamic State, also known as ISIS. And only miles away from Mosul, the US has sided with rebels in Syria who desire to overthrow Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. For its part, Russia is fighting those same rebels in an attempt to keep Assad in power.

Both the US and Russia claim that their ultimate objective in Syria is the defeat, if not the destruction, of ISIS. 

As announced in Russian media on 30 September, Moscow is sending its Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, to Jerusalem for a visit on 10 November. Coming on the tailwind of the US presidential election two days before the visit, it is likely that other facets of mutual concern between Jerusalem and Moscow are potential policy changes the new US President will bring to the region.

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Brian Schrauger is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Journal. He can be reached at Editor@JerusalemJournal.net 

Russian Fleet Sails for Final Blowout in Syria, Increasing Tension With the US - Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Russian warship preparing to sail (Photo by Shutterstock)

Russian Fleet Sails for Final Blowout in Syria, Increasing Tension With the US

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz October 21, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” Ezekiel 38:2 (The Israel Bible™)

Against a backdrop of increasing tension with the US, the Russian fleet passed through the English Channel on Friday en route to Syria in the country’s largest surface deployment since the end of the Cold War. The British Royal Navy is “man marking” the Russian fleet as it passes their shores, keeping a distance of about five miles in order to monitor it.

According to Western intelligence reports, Russia is sending its entire Northern Fleet and part of its Baltic Fleet, a total of eight warships including one aircraft carrier. The armada is sailing to the Mediterranean to reinforce the Russian military presence in Syria.

A senior NATO diplomat told the Telegraph, a major British news service, that the deployment was part of a renewed Russian attack in Aleppo.

“They are deploying all of the Northern Fleet and much of the Baltic Fleet in the largest surface deployment since the end of the Cold War,” the diplomat said.

“This is not a friendly port call. In two weeks, we will see a crescendo of air attacks on Aleppo as part of Russia’s strategy to declare victory there.”

Russia and the United States are at odds in Syria, with Russia supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad and the US supporting anti-Assad rebels. Both countries have a military presence in the region, though Russia has a more substantial military commitment including advanced anti-air systems. Confrontations have already come close to sparking a multi-national conflict. In November, Turkey, a NATO member and American ally, shot down a Russian bomber over Syria, killing the Russian pilot and a rescue serviceman. War was averted through diplomatic negotiations. Russia initiated severe economic sanctions.

Friction between the two super-powers is growing on the home-front as well. Last Friday, Vice President Joe Biden US Vice President Joe Biden threatened Russia with a cyber-attack in a Meet the Press televised interview.

“We’re sending a message,” Biden warned. “We have the capacity to do it. It will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact.”

The vice-presidential threat comes as a result of claims  Russian  interfered with the American elections by launching cyber-attacks and hacking more than 100 Democratic Party officials and groups.

Russia is taking the cyber-threat seriously. Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US, told SCMagazineUK , an online news service for computer security professionals, that the US government has not yet provided proof that the cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Convention was perpetrated by Russia. Yuri Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, told SCMagazineUK that Russia has already begun designing protective measures.

Ivan Beregovoy, a senior IT engineer of CyberZahita, a Russian developer of IT solutions, said to SCMagazineUK that the US is unlikely to conduct massive cyber-attacks on Russia’s critical infrastructure due to its own vulnerability to such attacks. The US is considered to have a higher level of vulnerability since its businesses and infrastructure are much more dependent on computerization than Russia.