Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday afternoon in Moscow, for talks focusing on security.

IranPress/Europe: Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the start of talks that "It's very important to discuss the situation in the region and security issues."

Netanyahu for his part told Putin that "Ties between us have prevented friction between our armies and contributed to security in the region." He also recounted that the two have had 11 meetings since September 2015,  AFP reported.

Netanyahu invited the Russian leader to visit Israel. Putin accepted the invitation.

Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Russia marks his first since Israeli Air Force Command downed a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft off a Syrian coast last September, killing more than a dozen Russian servicemen.

The Russian plane with 15 servicemen was circling over Idlib’s de-escalation zone on a special reconnaissance mission, when four Israeli F-16 warplanes left the regime’s airspace and flew over the neutral Mediterranean waters towards the Syrian coast.

Russian jets have been conducting air raids against ISIS (Daesh) and other terror outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government’s request since September 2015.

The strikes have helped Syrian forces advance against anti-Damascus militants, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.

On the other hand, Israel frequently attacks military targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up militant groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces. 101/211/202

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