Israel's Netanyahu to visit Moscow this week; will hold meeting with Putin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Israeli leader's office said on Tuesday. The statement did not elaborate on what would be discussed at the talks, five days before Israel's April 9 election. On Monday, Netanyahu told reporters he and Putin spoke by telephone about Syria, whose Russian-backed president, Bashar al-Assad, has been gaining ground in an eight-year civil war.