Anti-tank arms destined for Kiev have found their way to the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, on June 18, 2023. © Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP
Israel is not supplying weapons to Ukraine partly due to concerns that they could end up in the wrong hands, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview released on Thursday by the Jerusalem Post.
When asked to comment on government policy regarding support for Kiev amid the conflict with Moscow, Netanyahu argued that Israel is “in a peculiar situation” compared to Western countries that have sent billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.
“First of all, we have a close military border with Russia. Our pilots are flying right next to Russian pilots over the skies of Syria,” the Israeli premier noted.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining “freedom of action” against Iran, stating that “any systems that we give to Ukraine could be used against us because they could fall into Iranian hands.”
“That’s not a theoretical possibility. It actually happened with the Western anti-tank weapons that we now find at our borders. So we have to be very careful here,” the Israeli prime minister claimed.
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Unlike many Western countries, Israel has been reluctant to supply weapons to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began more than a year ago. However, it has sent humanitarian aid and early warning systems to Kiev.
Media reports have also indicated that Israel has approved several licenses allowing electronic warfare systems capable of jamming drones to be exported to Ukraine.
Netanyahu’s fears echo repeated warnings from Russian officials, who have cautioned that arms sent to Kiev could find their way onto the black market and into the hands of terrorists or organized crime gangs.
A Newsweek report earlier in June further fueled concerns that not all of the Western arms intended for Ukraine had arrived at their destination. Citing an Israeli defense official, the magazine claimed that West Jerusalem had “seen signs” that the weapons in question, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, were being smuggled from Ukraine to Iran.
