As Russia ponders its response to Israel’s alleged assassination of a Hamas terror leader, it is stoking tensions in the Middle East by urging Iran to avoid civilian casualties rather than urging it to avoid an escalation altogether.
“Putin’s desire to minimize Israeli civilian casualties is driven by pragmatism,” Rebecca Koffler, strategic military intelligence analyst and author of “The Putin Playbook,” explained to Fox News Digital.
“There are currently 1.2 million Russians and exiles from the former Soviet Union living in Israel – a large group of immigrants who have families in Russia and whom Putin would like to return to their ‘homeland,'” Kofler explained.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to adopt a restrained response if Iran holds Israel responsible for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
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Iranian leaders have promised retaliation and reportedly told Arab diplomats on Saturday that they would be happy if retaliation led to war. The Wall Street Journal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on July 19, 2022. (Presidential Website/West Asia News Agency/Distributed via Reuters)
The report said the United States urged European and other partner governments to send a message to Iran not to escalate tensions, stressing that any significant attack would invite retaliation and that new President Massoud Pezechkian’s efforts to improve ties with the West would be more receptive if Iran showed restraint.
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However, President Putin simply called on Iran to tread carefully. According to Reuters. Russian Security Council Chairman Sergei Shoigu conveyed the message during a meeting with a senior Iranian official on Monday.
Ismail Haniyeh spoke at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 26, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)
Iran also asked Russia to hand over some Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, two sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. They declined to provide further details about the meeting with Shoigu, but stressed that Russia acknowledged it was a “very dangerous assassination” but was urging restraint in many ways.
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The mood in Iran remains complicated by government desire to retaliate for such a brazen attack on a Hamas leader at home and fears of a broader conflict in a region that has been in crisis for months.
Iranian citizens burn an imitation of the Israeli flag during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on August 1, 2024. (Majid Saedi/Getty Images)
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi’s first visit to Iran since 2005 did not have the desired effect, despite telling leaders that Jordan would not allow Iranian missiles through Jordanian airspace. The Jerusalem Post reported:.
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The Guardian reports: Iran feels obligated to punish Israel for Haniyeh’s death and will convene a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday to assert its right to seek revenge.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday that the United States had urged countries to impress upon Iran “that new attacks on Israel are simply not in Iran’s interest.”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
