MOSCOW (AFP)--- Israel’s ambassador to Russia defended Israeli military operations in Lebanon at a rally in Moscow Wednesday night, saying they were essential to ensuring his country’s stability.

"The terrorist threat from Hezbollah today is a real threat to the Israeli state and to Jews... around the world wherever they may be," Ambassador Arkady MilMan told the meeting of several hundred people at Moscow’s Choral Synagogue.

Israel had embarked on the campaign "not because we want war or because it’s pleasant for us but because we have no choice.... but to succeed in achieving the goal of being able to live in Israel in peace," Mil-Man said.

The rally took place amid tight security, with state security forces blocking traffic from the street where the synagogue is located.

In January a young man rampaged through the synagogue with a knife, injuring eight people.

Draped across the ceiling was a large banner in the blue and white colours of the Israeli flag that read "We are against terror".

Russia called on Israel on Wednesday to release Palestinian parliament speaker Aziz Dweik, who was seized by Israeli troops over the weekend. The arrest of Dweik and other Palestinian officials "raises many questions, primarily the legitimacy of Israel's right to arrest and try members of Palestinian legislative and executive bodies in a territory that is not under Israel's jurisdiction," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

About 20 small black banners hung around the walls carrying the names of Russian and other cities around the world that have experienced terrorist attacks, each one showing a falling bomb.

Zeev Elkin, a visiting member of Israel’s Knesset or Parliament, described Russia’s official approach to the crisis as "balanced" but said Russian television was dwelling disproportionately on Lebanese losses.

"This event is very important because it shows that Jewish societies in Moscow... understand that Muslim extremist terrorism is a universal problem," Elkin said.