MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered condolences over the death of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation and expressed readiness to step up cooperation with Russia in the fight against terrorism, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday.

"Israel’s prime minister on behalf of himself and all the Israelis offered deep condolences over the tragic death of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov and strongly condemned the crime, expressing readiness to intensify cooperation with Russia in the fight against terrorism," the press service said in a statement, noting that the phone call was made by the Israeli head of government.

Besides, Putin and Netanyahu discussed important international matters, according to the press service. 

Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was gunned down on December 19 as he was speaking at the opening of a photo exhibition "Russia from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka through a Traveler’s Eyes". The Turkish authorities identified the attacker as former police officer Mevlut Mert Altyntash. He was promptly eliminated by the local security forces. The attacker had injured three other persons. The Russian Foreign Ministry has qualified the attack as an act of terrorism.