Putin believes Israel-Palestine conflict threatens Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin is confident that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority directly threatens Russia's security, since it "takes place in the immediate vicinity of our borders."

On Friday, May 14, at a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the head of state invited the participants to discuss the crisis in the Middle East," TASS reports. 

"I'm talking about the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is happening in the immediate vicinity of our borders and directly affects the interests of our security," Putin said.

Noteworthy, Israel borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt in the south. Its western part is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The straight distance from the outermost northern point of Israel to the Russia's nearest point is about 1,200 kilometers.

The Israeli army and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip have been exchanging missile attacks since May 10. They followed the riots that sparked in early May at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, after an Israeli court ordered to seize houses in Sheikh Jarrah from Arab families living there.

On May 10-13, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups fired about 1,600 missiles into Israeli territory. The IDF launched Operation Wall Guardian and on May 13 reported the destruction of at least 600 targets in the Gaza Strip.

Israel reported seven dead and dozens wounded. Palestine reported the death of 119 people, including 31 children and 19 women.