Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday reminded Russia of his government's decision not to join Western sanctions against it and asked that Russia reciprocate with a more pro-Israel approach to Syria and Iran.
Lieberman's appeal followed Russia's rare calling out of Israel over an April 9 airstrike in Syria and as U.S. President Donald Trump mulls scrapping the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal by May 12, a move opposed by Moscow.
"We value these relations with Russia," Lieberman said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
"Even when our close partners pressured us, as in the case of sanctions against Russia, we did not join them," he said, referring to the clash between Western powers and Russia over the annexation of Crimea and the poisoning of a Russian former spy in Britain.
"A lot of countries have recently expelled Russian diplomats. Israel did not join in this action," Lieberman said.
"We take Russia's interests into account and we hope that Russia will take into account our interests here in the Middle East. We expect Russia's understanding and support when it comes to our vital interests."
Since intervening in the Syrian civil war on behalf of President Bashar Assad in 2015, Russia has generally turned a blind eye to Israeli raids on suspected weapon transfers and deployments by Assad's Iranian and Hezbollah allies.
But Moscow's condemnation of the April 9 strike, in which seven Iranian personnel were killed, set off speculation in Israel that Russian patience might be wearing thin as Western powers clashed with Assad over his government's use of poison gas.
"We have no intention of meddling in Syria's internal affairs. What we will not tolerate is Iran turning Syria into a front base against Israel," Lieberman told Kommersant.
Arguing that the nuclear deal has not permanently denied Iran bomb-making capabilities, Lieberman invoked World War II.
"This deal should be treated exactly like the Munich agreement," he said, referring to Britain's 1938 appeasement of Nazi Germany.
"Just like what happened with what they tried to do with Hitler, we will end up paying a very heavy price."
Referring to the Iranian leadership's calls for Israel's destruction, Lieberman said he was hoping for "a clear and unequivocal response" from Russia, which is very "assiduous" in remembering the events of World War II.
