Israeli official covertly visits Russia for Lebanon ceasefire talks

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
10 Nov 2024 12:57
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Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer made a covert visit to Russia amid talks on implementing a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.

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Ron Dermer, the then-Israeli Ambassador to the US, speaks at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Capitol Hill in Washington, April 29, 2019. (AP)

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer traveled to Russia last week on a secret visit seemingly amid efforts to secure a ceasefire on the northern front with Lebanon.

The Times of Israel reported that Russia, as a key actor in Syria and a diplomatic player in efforts to end the Israeli war on Lebanon, could play a crucial role in securing a ceasefire agreement to bring an end to the ongoing aggression.

Earlier in October, Russia's Foreign Ministry took a striking stance against the aggression in the Middle East, issuing a message accusing the West of escalating the Middle East war and demonstrating hypocrisy by supporting "Israel", which has killed hundreds [now thousands] of civilians in Lebanon.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that according to Russian assessments, "Hezbollah, including the military wing, has not lost its chain of command and is demonstrating organization."

Moscow's statement regarding Hezbollah's maintenance of its control and command "was not just a message to Israel, but to Washington as well," high-level Russian sources told Al Mayadeen.

The message, according to the sources, essentially tells "Israel" and Washington that the "internal Lebanese front is not only for their collaborators," without providing further clarification.

Russia has also consistently condemned the Israeli assaults on Lebanon, particularly the pager attacks which left thousands wounded and dozens killed across the country, and the Israeli ground invasion of the Lebanese South.