JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked on Monday by phone over regional developments.

"The two discussed the situation in Syria, developments in the region and the actions necessary to increase regional stability," said a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's office.

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".

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 Syria against what it claims are Iranian targets and weapons convoys to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political party.