Israeli FM to visit Moscow for talks with Russian counterpart

JERUSALEM - Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will fly to Moscow for an official trip to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Lapid, who is also Israel's alternate prime minister, will depart on Wednesday for a one-day visit to Russia and will "hold a working meeting" with Lavrov, it added, without elaborating on which topics the talks will focus on.

The announcement came two days after a Russian-made surface-to-air missile was launched from Syrian territory towards Israel's airspace. According to a statement issued by the Israeli army, the missile exploded over the Mediterranean Sea, offshore Tel Aviv.

Russia and Israel have coordinated their moves in Syria to avoid clashes. Russian forces have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army while the Israeli air force has carried out numerous airstrikes targeting Iranian sites and weapons convoys to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political party.