Benjamin Netanyahu
Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to Russia last week, a senior Kremlin source confirmed Friday.
"The Israelis were the ones who wanted to keep this visit a secret and Moscow obliged," said the source.
The visit, he said, focused on Russia's arms deals with Syrian and Iran.
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So far, Russian officials denied that the visit – or any meeting between Netanyahu and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin – had taken place.
Netanyahu's visit to Russia, which came in the midst of conflicting reports that Israel may had been involved in the disappearance of the Arctic Sea – a cargo ship supposedly seized by pirates and later believed to be carrying a shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles bound for Iran – sparked a media mayhem.
Russia vehemently denied the Arctic Sea was carrying sophisticated and arms shipment, with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov saying "the rumors are absolutely groundless.'
In early September, a Ynet investigation revealed that the Russian government had ordered the "hijacking" after learning it was violating international accords by carrying "destabilizing" arms to Syria or Iran.