In addition, the Magach tank brought Russia and Israel even closer to each other, the media outlet added. The Syrian army captured this peace of military hardware in 1982 during the First Lebanon War. It was later exhibited in Russia.
The tank will now return home, possibly offering closure to the families of the three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) servicemen, who went missing during the war.
"Israel has not experienced many military defeats, but those that did happen are very painful for the country. The Battle of Sultan Yacoub that saw the Syrians take the Magach is one of those," Lenta.ru observed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attributed the increasing level of interaction between Moscow and one of Washington's closest allies to "the atmosphere of trust" in the bilateral relations. "There is a very constructive and trustworthy communication style between the president and the prime minister," he said on Tuesday.
As a result, cooperation between Russia and Israel has "a very positive foundation."
This is not to say that Russia and Israel see eye to eye on every issue. After all, Moscow played a major role in convincing Tehran to constrain its nuclear program. Yet both countries appear to be willing to look for working solutions and leveraging the relationship.
"For Tel Aviv, relations with Moscow provide a means of influencing the behavior of Syria and Iran, Russia's regional partners," Daragh McDowell, principal Europe and Central Asia analyst at risk consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft, told Newsweek.
"For Russia, developing ties with Israel is an important part of its overall effort to gain and maintain an enduring strategic foothold in the Middle East while also reducing US influence in the region," he added.
Xavier Colás raised a similar point in an opinion piece for El Mundo. Ties between Russia and Israel have intensified at a time when Washington's presence and power in the Middle East are less pronounced that a decade ago. Moreover, US foreign policy could change when a new president moves into the White House next year.
"In this new context, Moscow could be a key player [in the region] and Israel knows it," he noted.
Nevertheless, Israel's special relationship with the US will most likely remain largely unaffected. "Netanyahu's not defecting, but what we see here is a bid to maneuver independently to promote Israel's interests," Reuters quoted Zvi Magen, a former Israeli ambassador to Russia, as saying.
Netanyahu's previous visit to Russia took place on April 21.
