Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has arrived at the IDF’s Tel Aviv headquarters, known as the Kirya, where he is welcomed with an honor guard.
This is Shoigu’s first official visit to Israel, and the first visit by any Russian defense minister in several years.
Avigdor Liberman, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu shaking hands with veterans at the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2017. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
During his trip, Shoigu will be the guest of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. He will also meet with IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and other senior members of Israel’s security forces.
Shoigu and his entourage are expected to discuss with their Israeli counterparts the overall situation in Syria, where Russian troops are allied with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, and specifically the role of Iran in the war-torn country.
Shoigu’s trip got off to a rocky start, coming just hours after Israeli jets bombed a Syrian military anti-aircraft battery that had earlier fired an interceptor missile at an Israeli reconnaissance plane. Russia had reportedly been informed of the airstrike in real time.
— Judah Ari Gross
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