Chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tzachi Hanegbi. Photo: Wikipedia.

Russia’s recent intervention in Syria in support of the country’s embattled President Assad is working to Israel’s advantage, the Majority Leader of Israel’s Knesset said on Saturday night.

According to an Al Jazeera report, Tzachi Hanegbi, who also serves as Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom that the expansion of terror group ISIS in the Sinai and its gradual takeover of Syria are among the greatest threats facing Israel today. Hanegbi then praised Russian action in Syria aimed at destroying the terrorist organization.

According to Al Jazeera, Hanegbi also told Israel Hayom that while the presence of dozens of Russian jets and soldiers in Syria could have led to accidental clashes with Israeli troops, both sides preempted that possibility by establishing a joint coordination mechanism aimed at preventing any misunderstandings from occurring.