Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his secret visit
to Moscow last month, gave the Kremlin a list of Russian scientists that Israel believes are helping Iran develop nuclear warheads, the British Times reported on Saturday.
According to the report, a source close to the Russian defense minister said, "We heard that Netanyahu came with a list and factual evidence showing that the Russians are helping Iran develop a bomb."
The source added that this was the reason Netanyahu's trip was kept confidential. "The goal was not to embarrass Moscow, but to push it to take action."
Last month, Netanyahu "disappeared" for a short period. His office initially claimed he was visiting a security facility in Israel, but it was quickly revealed that he had actually travelled to Russia.
Both the Kremlin and Israeli official confirmed in recent weeks that Netanyahu was in fact in Moscow at the time.
"From the very beginning the Israelis wanted the visit to remain a secret," a top official from the Kremlin said some two weeks ago, asking to remain anonymous. "This was what they wanted and we accepted their wish," added.
However, a spokesman for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told a Russian news agency a few days after the visit that he had no knowledge of such a meeting between his president and the Israeli prime minister.
The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, stressed there was no meeting with Netanyahu set the Prime Minister's schedule.
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