Russia’s Difficult Balancing Act Between Israel and Iran

Israel and Iran's exchange of drone strikes over the past week has fueled fears that the longstanding enmity between the two countries could spill over into all-out war as Israel continues its offensive on Gaza in the wake of the attack on Israel by the Tehran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Moscow has traditionally tried to maintain relations with all the major powers in the Middle East. But the war in Ukraine has brought Moscow and Tehran especially close, with the same Shahed drones that targeted Israel having been used to deadly effect against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

For this episode, we decided to explore Russia's place in the region through Iranian and Israeli eyes. We speak to Rajan Menon, director of the Grand Strategy Program at the U.S. think tank Defense Priorities, about Russia’s ties with Iran. We also spoke to Israeli journalist Milan Czerny about how relations between Russia and Israel have changed over recent months.

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