Tel Aviv, Dec 29 (IANS): In a phone call, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed regional developments and ways to increase stability in the Middle East, according to an official statement issued here.

"The two discussed the situation in Syria, developments in the region and the actions necessary to increase regional stability," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office as saying following the call on Monday.

In a letter published by the office, Putin told Netanyahu that he is looking forward to extending their joint work in 2021 to "build up the entire range of bilateral ties, as well as interaction in addressing urgent issues on the regional and global agenda".

During the call, the two leaders also exchanged New Year greetings.

The Russian and Israeli armies have been coordinating their moves in Syria to avoid clashes.

Russian forces have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army, while Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in the war-torn country against what it claims are Iranian targets and weapons convoys to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political party.