Israeli national security chief Meir Ben-Shabbat travelled to Moscow on Wednesday to try to finalise a deal in which two Syrians will be exchanged for an Israeli woman held by the regime of President Bashar Al Assad.
For years Israel and Russia co-ordinated closely over war-torn Syria.
Israel turned to Russia for help in retrieving the woman, who was arrested after straying into Syria by mistake, despite the two nations having different policies regarding the Assad regime.
Moscow, which has enormous influence with Mr Al Assad, is trying to revitalise his rule as the almost 10-year civil war winds down.
Israel has no firm role in the conflict but wants to minimise Russian and Iranian influence in the region and keep its borders safe.
It is not the first time Russia has assisted Israel in this way.
In 2019 it successfully retrieved the remains of Israeli soldier Zacharia Baumel from Syria in what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a difficult mission.
The 21-year-old’s family waited 37 years for the return of his body.
Russia needs calm to rebuild the Assad regime and Israel wants peace along its northern border, creating a "shared interest", said Shaul Shay, former deputy chairman of the National Security Council, which is now led by Mr Ben-Shabbat.
Co-ordination dates back to the intense fighting in the Syrian civil war, when the Russian air force struck rebel targets and Israel agreed not to interfere.
Open, regular channels of communication were forged.
Then, after Iran moved missiles into Syria for use by Hezbollah and others against Israel, Russia acquiesced to Israel conducting hundreds of raids to destroy them, said Efraim Halevy, former director of Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad.
"There has been in recent years a machinery set up. I don't want to use the word co-ordination, but of averting mishaps in the air," Mr Halevy, who led Mossad from 1998 to 2002, told The National.
"Mostly this has been successful and therefore Israel has been able to carry out several hundred air sorties against Iranian weaponry that has travelled to Syria.
The Russians don't want Israel's necessary actions to flare into a major conflagration so they need a degree of understanding with Israel on its parameters
"One assumes there has been ongoing dialogue between Israel and Russia over the years."
Those talks could range from discussions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Putin, to the commanders of the air forces, said Mr Halevy, who emphasised that he had no knowledge of what was happening in the current negotiations.
Israel has to be careful not to harm relations with Washington in its dealings with Russia, he said. And the Russians must take their relations with Iran into account.
"The Russians don't want Israel's necessary actions to flare into a major conflagration, so they need a degree of understanding with Israel on its parameters," Mr Halevy said.
Russia has been building up its presence in Syria, including the expansion of a naval base, he said.
He declined to say if there was a quid pro quo in which Israel agreed to the Russian expansion in exchange for its air force being able to strike targets in Syria.
"When there is a climate of dialogue and discourse you reach understandings," Mr Halevy said. "I wouldn't say there is a common strategy."
Mr Shay said Israel used Russia to send messages that it would not tolerate an Iranian presence at the border with the Golan Heights, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed.
"Russia does not prevent Israel from attending to the Iranians, Iranian militias and Hezbollah" in Syria, he said.
The Israeli government is anxious to bring the missing woman home and on Tuesday held a session on the matter, the contents of which were not divulged.
Israeli society is in many respects tightly knit and the country has a history of agreeing to lopsided prisoner exchanges and freeing prisoners who killed soldiers or civilians to bring back one citizen.
Ten years ago, Mr Netanyahu agreed to exchange 1,037 prisoners, some of whom had killed Israelis, in exchange for a young soldier, Gilad Shalit.
So the release of two prisoners to the Syrians in exchange for the Israeli woman, if it happens, is likely to be welcomed by the public.
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
INFO
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
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