Dozens of Israeli citizens were detained and questioned for several hours this weekend at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, Israel’s foreign ministry said Monday, with Russian media reporting that security officials questioned some of them over the war in Iran.
The exiled news outlet Mediazona, citing an anonymous source familiar with the incident, reported that at least 40 Israelis and dual Russian-Israeli nationals were held for around five hours on Saturday after arriving at the airport in Moscow from Tel Aviv.
Security officers allegedly confronted some of the passengers over the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. According to Mediazona, the officers said Iran’s enemies are “our enemies too.” The officers reportedly told the passengers they “should not have come [to Russia]” and were “not welcome” in Moscow.
The group of passengers was released after signing a document warning them against breaking the law, with Mediazona’s source claiming that the security officers went from being “rude” to “very polite.”
Israel’s foreign ministry told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the incident was resolved after an intervention by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli Embassy in Moscow and Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
“It was made clear to the Russians that this conduct was completely unacceptable and Israel views the incident very seriously,” an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The incident took place days after Russia resumed flights to and from Israel following weeks of air disruptions caused by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Israel reopened its airspace after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire nearly two weeks ago.
