Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2018. (Reuters photo)

JERUSALEM, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Wednesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss Iran's presence in Syria, Netanyahu's office said.

"I am now going to Moscow for a very important meeting with Russian President Putin," Netanyahu said in a statement before leaving.

"We will discuss Syria, discuss Iran, discuss Israel's security needs," he added.

It would be the third meeting between the two leaders in the past six months, as part of the ongoing coordination between Russia and Israel over their military activities in Syria.

The two leaders will also watch together the World Cup semifinal between England and Croatia scheduled for late Wednesday.

The meeting comes amid tensions over frequent, sometimes deadly airstrikes that Israel has allegedly carried out in Syria.

Despite no official acknowledgment of most of the attacks in Syria, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have repeatedly said Israel will not accept any Iranian presence in this northern neighbor.