Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a September 2015 meeting in Moscow. Photo: kremlin.ru.

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss the conflict in Syria, just days after Israeli jets hit a Syrian anti-aircraft battery.

According to the Kremlin, Netanyahu initiated the phone conversation, with the leaders discussing “the Syrian settlement, the Iranian nuclear program, as well as the results of a recent referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.”

Israeli Air Force jets on Monday bombed a Syrian anti-aircraft battery near Damascus after an Israeli plane flying over Lebanon had been fired at. The IDF said it had informed the Russians of its actions in real-time, in accordance with agreements between the two countries. Russia became involved in the Syrian Civil War starting in 2015 and has been a strong backer of the Syrian government, which is allied with Iran.

Following Monday’s incident, Iran on Wednesday warned Israel it will not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty.

“It is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria any time it wants,” Iran’s Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said during a visit to Damascus.

The call between Netanyahu and Putin also comes following a meeting between the two countries’ defense chiefs, Avigdor Lieberman and Sergey Shoigu, in Tel Aviv, where Lieberman conveyed Israel’s concern over Iran’s military buildup in Syria.