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But other analysts said that Israel wanted to find a way to express its anger with the planned sale of the S-300 missiles.

“Israel is between a rock and a hard place,” Efraim Karsh of Bar Ilan University told The Media Line. “The Americans are not sending anyone. At the same time, we don’t want to undermine our relations with Russia, which are important. We are trying to show our displeasure with the missile deal while keeping relations on course.”

We are trying to show our displeasure with the missile deal while keeping relations on course

The Israeli official said there is tension over the Russian decision to lift the ban on supplying Iran with the S-300 missiles. Russia insists that as they are defensive they should not be included in the sanctions that Iran is still under. The Russian deal to supply Iran with the missiles was signed in 2007, but held up until now. The decision to lift the ban comes as Iran and the international community are moving closer to a deal that would lift many of the sanctions on Iran in exchange for severely curtailing its nuclear program and agreeing to international inspections. Israel has vehemently opposed any deal, saying that Iran has lied to the international community before, and is set on becoming a nuclear power. Israel’s strong stance has sparked tensions between Israel and its chief ally, the U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu phoned Putin last week, and the two men spoke for over an hour. Over the weekend, Netanyahu demanded that Russia halt the planned delivery of the air defense system to Iran, warning that “Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend the security of the state and its citizens,” Netanyahu said, adding that Tehran held a military parade this week.