Russian authorities detain 40 Israelis landing in Moscow over 'involvement' in Iran war

Moscow authorities detained and interrogated approximately 40 Israelis landing at the Russian capital's Domodedovo Airport over involvement in the Iran war, Russian opposition outlet Mediazona reported on Monday.

The Israelis landed on a flight from Tel Aviv. Some of those detained were dual Israel-Russia nationals, but all had no access to food, water, or a bathroom while being detained for several hours, according to the report.

Security officials demanded that passengers unlock their phones, but the passengers refused, with authorities eventually settling for all mobile devices to be turned off, a source told Mediazona.

The Israelis were called in for "conversations" during which some were reportedly told that Iran is Russia's ally, and that Iran's enemy is Russia's enemy, the outlet said.

The Israelis were then told that their visit to Moscow was "not welcome" and that they had "come for nothing."

They were then made to sign papers containing warnings over the risk of breaking the law, before being released, the outlet reported.

The security officials were behaving "very politely and carefully" when handing over the papers, the source told the outlet.

An Israeli source corroborated the report to Ynet, but said that the number of Israelis involved is "lower, but not by much, than what was stated."

The incident was later confirmed by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who told The Jerusalem Post that "As soon as the incident became known, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar directed ministry staff to act, along with the Russian Foreign Ministry and Israel's Embassy in Moscow."

"Following this intervention, the incident was resolved, and the Israelis' entry was approved," the spokesperson told the Post.

"It was made clear to the Russians that this conduct was completely unacceptable and Israel views the incident very seriously," they added.