JERUSALEM: A senior Israel military official says the country has set up a joint mechanism with the Russian military to coordinate their operations in Syria.

The official says Thursday that teams headed by each of the militaries' deputy chiefs will hold their first meeting in two weeks. The teams will discuss coordination of aerial, naval and electromagnetic operations around Syria.

The mechanism is a result of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting this week in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has backed the Assad regime throughout the nation's civil war, which has killed more than 250,000 people. It recently deployed forces there to help Syria in its battle against Islamic extremist rebels.

Israel has been careful to stay out of the fighting.