Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he arrives at the Elysee Palace after the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. Reuters/Reinhard Krause
PARIS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin at World War One commemorations on Sunday, their first meeting since the downing of a Russian plane during an Israeli air raid in Syria in September.
"The conversation with President Putin was good and businesslike. I would even describe it as very important," Netanyahu told reporters after the ceremony in Paris, adding that he also spoke there with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Moscow said last month it had delivered S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Syria, where Israel has struck Iranian targets.
The missile shipment came after Russia, a main backer of the Damascus government, accused Israel of indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military jet by Syrian air defences following an Israeli air strike nearby.
Netanyahu, speaking to reporters on Sunday, also said he favoured reaching an "arrangement" that would avoid an all out war with Gaza and stave off a deepening humanitarian crisis.
