Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog is scheduled to leave, Sunday evening, on a 36-hour official visit to Russia at the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Duma Russian parliament, following a meeting of Herzog with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last November during Medvediv's visit in Israel. The head of the Zionist Union faction will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, officials in the Russian government and representatives of the Jewish community.
Herzog said that "I intend to present, during my meetings, a firm demand to prevent the transfer of weapons supplied to Syria to Hezbollah and against the attempt to expand its [Hezbollaj's] sphere of influence Syrian Golan, which constitutes a red line for the state of Israel. In addition, I will focus on Palestinian issue, regional issues and social easing for immigrants from Russia."