Israel is not supplying weapons to Ukraine partly due to concerns that they could end up in the ‘wrong hands’, rightwing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview released on Thursday by the Israeli Jerusalem Post newspaper.
When asked to comment on government policy regarding support for Kiev amid the war 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,” Netanyahu said.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining what he called “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.
Israel has carried out numerous bombings and assassinations in Syria in recent years, killing Syrian and Iranian soldiers, along with many Syrian civilians.
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Also, for years, Tel Aviv has fanned the flames of war against Iran to no avail. Neither Washington has committed to a war against Tehran, nor Arab countries formed a military alliance with Israel to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
From Ukraine to Iran
Unlike many Western countries, Israel has allegedly been reluctant to supply weapons to Ukraine since the war between Russia and Ukraine began more than a year ago. However, it has reportedly 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.
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, Israel’s biggest enemy in the region.
(The Palestine Chronicle, RT)
