Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has issued a stern warning that an Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities would be “disastrous for the region” and a military assault would “set off deep shocks in the security and economic spheres that would reverberate far beyond the boundaries of the Mideast”.

The call from a Russian official does not bring anything new to the diplomatic stage, when in fact Russian leaders are of one voice, adamantly opposed to an Israeli strike. Interestingly, Russia continues to play contradictory roles, on the one hand a member of the Quartet along with the United States, European Union and the United Nations, all the while Moscow continues to supply Israel’s enemies, primarily Syria, with advanced offensive and defensive armaments. Russia is responsible for major shifts in the balance of military power in the region, since its technological assistance and weaponry sales to Syria and other members of the Axis of Evil all combine to threaten the common enemy, Israel.

Nevertheless, Moscow continues to dare to warn and criticize as it benefits financially from arming the nations that pose the greatest threat to the Western world.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)