Two weeks ago, at the onset of the Ukraine War, Israeli officials said that the ongoing deconfliction with Russia over Syria will not be impacted by political differences over Ukraine.
Israel was critical of Russia’s invasion, and Russia’s been critical of Israeli strikes on Syria. So far, however, both sides are carefully avoiding connecting the two issues, and that appears unchanged.
Israeli FM Yair Lapid confirmed Israel remains on the US side on Ukraine, but that has to be coupled with considerations of how “vital” their interest is in Syria, which means not getting Russia mad enough to stop those regular Israeli attacks.
Russia’s silence on the matter so far likely represents an understanding that Israel isn’t doing anything with respect to Ukraine beyond parroting the US stance, and that this is not, ultimately, a threat to their interests.
Israel: Syria Coordination With Russia Not Impacted by Ukraine War
Both sides carefully avoid connecting the issues
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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