By Baria Alamuddin, Arab News

A remarkable meeting occurred in January between Syrian and Israeli officials at the Russian base near Latakia in western Syria. It appears to have been precipitated by Israeli concerns about the increasing sophistication of high-precision Iranian missiles and drones in Tehran’s satellite states.

Russian forces have reportedly begun searching for the remains of two more Israeli soldiers, missing since 1982, in a cemetery near the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus.

The two soldiers, identified as Zvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz, have been missing since 1982 during the ‘Battle of Sultan Yaqoub’ in the First Lebanese War, along with another Israeli soldier, Zachary Baumel, whose remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019, according to a report by the Times of Israel newspaper.

Just two days after alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted a number of sites around Syria, 10 pro-Iranian militia members were killed in airstrikes by unidentified aircraft in central Syria on Thursday night, according to the local Ayn Al-Furat news source.

Aerial bombardment of rural areas of As-Suwayda and Deir Ezzor in Syria on Tuesday evening reportedly killed and wounded several Assad regime militiamen.

The regime's ‘SANA’ agency claimed that regime air defenses responded to the planes which carried out the bombing of the militias’ bases.

SANA claimed that the bombardment targeted the Kabbagb area, west of Deir Ezzor and the Al-Sukhna area, in addition to sites near the city of Sallakh, in the south of As-Suwayda.

'I’ve learned what it means for a human being to be truly free. We’ve continued for five years, and I lived…I’ve lived as a free person. Before the revolution, I never felt this, although I was a teacher at a university, and my situation was excellent in comparison to other young men. However, I never used to feel this idea of freedom of thought. I didn’t even have this perspective. I hadn’t yet had the slightest experience, or slightest life-changing experience, that we are living right now.

So, for me, despite everything, I see better and positive developments, in general.

In terms of the revolution, it is going through its natural “labor pains.” That’s my opinion.'

Following Monday's incident on Israel’s northern border, Russia has instructed Hezbollah to calm down. According to Al-Arabia reports, Moscow, which assists Tehran's Lebanese proxy militia in Syria, has made a direct request to desist from further “igniting the wick of confrontation” between the terror organization and Israel.

10-05-2015: In preparation for the post-Assad scenario in Syria, Israeli sources have confirmed that the Israeli military is set to launch attacks on “jihadist organisations” operating in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

Military affairs commentator Alon Ben-David confirmed that the Israeli army and air force are currently working on preparations for a strategy to defeat a range of jihadist organisations on the assumption that these organisations will turn their weapons on Israel after the fall of the Assad regime.

Last month, when President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced plans to sell a powerful anti-missile system to Iran before the lifting of international sanctions, Israel was quick to join the U.S. in expressing shock and anger.

But behind the public announcements is a little-known web of arms negotiations and secret diplomacy. In recent years, Israel and Russia have engaged in a complex dance, with Israel selling drones to Russia while remaining conspicuously neutral toward Ukraine and hoping to stave off Iranian military development. The dance may not be over.