Russia Summons Israeli Ambassador Over Criticism of Kremlin's Middle East Stance

Russia's foreign ministry plans to summon Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over what it deems as "unacceptable comments" made in an interview with Russia's Kommersant daily, where she criticized Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for downplaying the Holocaust and expressed Israel's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion. Halperin also questioned Russia's reluctance to condemn Hamas and its Middle East policy. The ministry described her comments as an "extremely unsuccessful start" to her diplomatic posting, which began last December.