MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov discussed arms control and the non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons with Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Ben Zvi, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"The talk focused on pressing issues of international security with the emphasis on arms control and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier on Thursday that the recent statements by Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu to the effect that it was possible to use nuclear weapons against residents of the Gaza Strip were "provocative and absolutely unacceptable." As the Russian diplomat pointed out, the issue of creating a Middle Eastern area free of mass destruction weapons and their delivery vehicles was becoming increasingly essential and urgent.