A prediction made by our portal was verified, as the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have been heated, frank and profound. Which is by the way recognized by diplomatic sources close to their participants.

As for bilateral trade and economic relations, the parties unanimously recognized their dynamic development on mutually beneficial terms. The leaders of both countries expressed interest in expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation, intensifying the exchange of scientific and practical experience in medicine and healthcare.

At the same time, the leaders predictably faced acute differences in their approaches to resolving issues in Syria and relations with Iran. The talks were ultra-confidential, without any detailed disclosure of agreements. Suffice it to note that, contrary to the original plan, the meeting lasted over five hours, at the end of which the Israeli delegation decided to stay in Sochi until October 23.

According to sources of the Arab outlet Asharq al-Awsat, the Russian side drew the Israeli attention to the 2015 agreement between former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was reached almost immediately after an air group was deployed in Syria by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces.

The agreement provided for three key directions: preventing Syria from becoming a threat to Israel; averting a concentration of forces hostile to Israel in the border areas; and Tel Aviv's right to strike positions where the threat comes from. Apart from that, the sides agreed to hold regular consultations at the level of National Security Council secretaries and to establish a four-party military commission (Israel, Jordan, Russia and the United States) headquartered in Amman to prevent armed incidents in the air and on the ground.

In general, despite a number of complications, these agreements were being fulfilled under the Jewish state's previous Cabinet. An aggravation followed only when Naftali Bennett's government came to power: the Israelis embarked upon massive missile strikes on Syrian military facilities that did not pose a real threat to Israel. The joint military commission in Amman was almost entirely knocked off work. Collaboration between the National Security Councils suffered the same.

The Israeli leadership considers Iran's military presence in Syria as the primary hazard, as it aims to create a "corridor" for the supply of modern weapons and military equipment to the allied Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah organization. This is how Tel Aviv justifies its regular strikes against Syria that have recently become a threat to Russia's national interests and safety of its military personnel.

At its meetings with the Israelis, the Russian leadership has repeatedly stressed its ability to influence Iran and Hezbollah in order to reduce tensions and prevent Syria from turning into Israel's struggle against its opponents. Ahead of Naftali Bennett's visit to Sochi, Moscow issued several warnings to Tel Aviv, as our portal reported earlier.

As for Israeli-Iranian relations, they are still irreconcilable and threaten to turn into an acute armed conflict with unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East.

Israel precariously adheres to a creed that Iran keeps producing nuclear weapons. Even after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed to make away with Iran's uranium enrichment. Donald Trump's administration unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, having paved the way for the Iranian Natanz center to reinvigorate the nuclear program.

Israel has been preparing a special military operation for about 30 years to strike nuclear plants in Iran. As of the current fiscal year, the military department plans to allocate over 1.5 billion dollars for the "containment" of Iran alone. According to Asharq al-Awsat, in the lead-up to the Sochi talks, the Israeli defense ministry instructed Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi to examine the forces and means for striking Iran...

Russia, however, has a clear and consistent stance on this issue, being dead set against using military force against Iran, which does not currently pose a real threat to Israeli security. Tel Aviv should not wait for an about-face on the issue.

Despite the parties' incongruent approaches to vital military and political issues, Moscow and Tel Aviv assess the Sochi consultations as significant, positive and promising.