Netanyahu talks corona, regional security with Putin

Netanyahu and Putin talked about a number of issues, including corona.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. They discussed regional security issues in connection with Iran and Syria.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Netanyahu and Putin have developed a close relationship over the years to avoid misunderstandings as Russia has inserted its forces into Syria to protect Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Israel looks to prevent entrenchment by another of Assad’s allies, Iran.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Syria. In Sept. 2018, Syrian anti-aircraft accidentally shot down a Russian military plane carrying 15 people after an Israeli attack on Syrian positions. Israel has since increased coordination with Russia to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Following the call, Netanyahu held a large scale Zoom meeting with local authority heads in order to hear about their needs. He said he’s in talks with Putin and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to obtain fast-result tests for coronavirus.

“We are in touch with Putin and the American vice president to get very fast tests,” Netanyahu said.

“We’ll return to the ‘Traffic Light’ system as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported.

That system, set up by corona czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu, bases health restrictions on the level of infection. Red towns would find themselves under lockdown while green towns would enjoy freedom of movement. The concept is to incentivize local leaders to work to minimize the spread of the disease.

Israel intends to return to the Traffic Light system once its national lockdown ends.