Israeli army delegation to brief Russian military in Moscow on ‘Hezbollah tunnels’

An Israeli army delegation will be in Moscow on Tuesday to brief their Russian counterparts on operations to destroy Hezbollah tunnels from Lebanon, the military said. The delegation is composed of senior officers and led by the head of army operations, General Aharon Haliva, AFP reports, citing the statement. The announcement came after a telephone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the day-long visit, the team will brief their Russian counterparts on Operation Northern Shield and other issues, according to the Israeli army. On Wednesday, it launched the Northern Shield operation aimed at destroying alleged Hezbollah “attack tunnels.” Ties between Israel and Russia have been strained since the accidental downing of one of Russia’s transport planes on September 17 by Syrian ground batteries, when 15 service personnel were killed. President Michel Aoun said Tuesday that Beirut will wait to respond to Israeli claims that Hezbollah had dug tunnels into Lebanon’s territory until investigations are complete.