MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Israel’s recommendation that its citizens leave Russia’s North Caucasus region after a violent anti-Israeli protest in Dagestan on Sunday was “anti-Russian”.
In a briefing with reporters, Zakharova said that an Israeli warning against travel in the mostly Muslim regions of the North Caucasus bore “no relation to reality”.
Dozens were arrested after hundreds of protesters stormed Makhachkala airport in Dagestan on Sunday, looking for Jewish passengers on board a plane arriving from Tel Aviv.
Zakharova said that Russia’s traditionally strong relations with Israel were “resilient”.
Russia has repeatedly criticised Israel’s military actions around the Gaza Strip, restated its long-standing support for a Palestinian state, while also hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow.
(Reporting by ReutersWriting by Felix LightEditing by Andrew Osborn)
