Russia and Israel have begun procedures to coordinate their operations in Syrian skies. They have been using the agreement reached between Vladimir Putin and Binyamin Netanyahu in Moscow on Sepember 22.
On October 15, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that “mutual information-sharing on the actions of aircraft has been established” to avoid clashes in the Syrian skies “between the Russian aviation command center at the Hmeimim air base and a command post of the Israeli air force.”
Syrian air space is frequented by a dozen air forces: Syria, Russia the US, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Canada, France, Australia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
As soon as Russia started its military operations in Syria, Moscow and Jerusalem set up a hot line to avert disastrous collisions over Syria.
On October 10, Russia and the USA signed an agreement regulating the operations of their air forces in Syria. It should prvent incidents and provide for the smooth operation of the two nations’ aircraft. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its US counterparts have pledged to convey the agreement’s details to their anti-ISIS coalition partners.
The Russian-Israeli hotline provides an excellent opportunity for exercising the coordination in combat conditions. It could become a ground for the future developments in coordination the major powers’ efforts in the region.
