Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov (social networking sites)
Israeli media reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz summoned Moscow's ambassador to Tel Aviv, Anatoly Viktorov, to "reprimand" him, after a series of statements made by Russian officials against Israel.
Israeli Channel 13 said that yesterday, Saturday, Katz summoned Moscow's ambassador to Israel to "reprimand" him at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Jerusalem.
The channel indicated that the reason was a series of statements made by senior officials in Moscow against Israel.
The Israeli channel added that Tel Aviv "also wants to rebuke the Russian ambassador, because his country does not call for the release of prisoners detained in Gaza," as it put it.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli or Russian authorities on what the Israeli channel reported.
Lavrov and Russian officials directed sharp criticism at Israel against the backdrop of its devastating war on the Gaza Strip (Reuters)
Frequent criticism
At the end of last February, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, stressed the need for the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel.
Nebenzia also stressed the need to achieve an urgent ceasefire in order to prevent famine in Gaza, and to ensure Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the end of the same month that "the Israeli military operation in the West Bank is no longer less dangerous and ferocious than what is happening in the Gaza Strip."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 100,000 martyrs and injured - most of them children and women - and massive destruction in residential neighborhoods and vital facilities, which led to its appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide.
Source: Al Jazeera + Anatolia