Netanyahu’s secret Moscow mission: Israel chooses Russia Over Turkey in high-stakes power play

Amid the escalating crisis between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, which reached an unprecedented level on Friday, Israel is also reassessing its relations with Russia.

It has now been revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his military secretary, Major General Roman Gofman, for a series of security and diplomatic meetings in Moscow in recent days. The purpose of these meetings was to coordinate and strengthen cooperation between the two countries while maintaining Israel’s security interests.

Major General Gofman, who returned from Moscow yesterday, is considered one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, especially in light of the prime minister’s strained relations with outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, whom Netanyahu has threatened to dismiss. Recently, Gofman was also secretly dispatched to several other destinations for similar objectives.

Israel is clearly choosing a side—favoring Russia over Turkey and actively working to push Ankara out of Syria. Another goal of the meetings was to ask Russia to exert pressure on Hamas, through mediators, to advance a deal for the release of Israeli hostages. One of the hostages still held in captivity is Maxim Herkin, who holds Russian citizenship.

Another driving factor behind these diplomatic efforts is Israel’s growing concern over the entrenchment of hostile elements in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Netanyahu has escalated his rhetoric by publicly demanding the demilitarization of the area south of Damascus. According to Reuters, Israel is pressuring the U.S. to maintain Syria’s weakness, partly by allowing Russia to retain its military bases in the country. By doing so, Jerusalem aims to neutralize Turkey’s influence, as Ankara is exploiting the power vacuum to strengthen its security alliance with Syria’s new regime.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to host Syria’s new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the head of the jihadist rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), for discussions on establishing Turkish military bases, training the renewed Syrian army, and securing Syria’s airspace. Israel, for its part, seeks to thwart this development and prefers Russia over Turkey as the dominant force in Syria.

During a recent combat officers’ graduation ceremony, Netanyahu declared that Israeli forces would remain in several key locations in Lebanon and Syria. He emphasized:

"We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria from the forces of the new regime. Additionally, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria."

He further stated:

"In Syria, IDF forces will remain in the Mount Hermon area and the buffer zone indefinitely to protect our settlements and prevent any threat. We will not allow HTS forces or the new Syrian army to enter the territory south of Damascus."

Following Netanyahu’s statements, the IDF launched an airstrike on HTS bases in Syria. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed:

"The Air Force struck with force in southern Syria as part of our newly defined demilitarization policy for the region."

He added:

"The message is clear: We will not allow southern Syria to turn into southern Lebanon. We will not jeopardize the security of our citizens."

Despite its outreach to Moscow, Israel harbors no illusions about the Kremlin’s stance. Russia maintains a strategic alliance with Iran, including support for Tehran’s "civilian" nuclear program, and has recently taken a pro-Hamas stance. Since October 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to condemn Hamas’s massacre and has instead blamed Israel’s settlement policies. Later, he even accused Jerusalem of committing "massacres against Palestinians."

Israel, however, has refrained from officially supporting Ukraine, despite Zelensky’s vocal backing of Israel following the Hamas attack.