The US has moved some of its Patriot missiles from Israel to Ukraine. The interceptors were in storage after Tel Aviv decommissioned its Patriot air defense program. The transfer is the most significant Israeli support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Axios reports around 90 Patriot interceptors were moved from Israel to Poland this week. The missiles will then be moved into Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded world leaders provide Ukraine with more interceptors as Kiev attempts to protect its cities from Russian attacks.
In recent months, Kiev and Moscow have escalated missile and drone attacks on each other’s cities and critical infrastructure.
The Israeli Defense Forces recently stopped using the Patriot system for its air defense. Washington has provided billions in military aid to Tel Aviv so Israel could develop domestically produced air defense systems.
Even after Tel Aviv decommissioned the Patriot program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reluctant to sign off on sending the interceptors to Ukraine. Netanyahu refused Zelensky’s calls for several months before finally agreeing to the transfer in September. According to Axios, Tel Aviv was concerned that Moscow could respond by sending more advanced weapons to Iran.
Throughout the Ukraine War, Moscow and Terhran have developed significant military ties, with Iran sending drones to Russia. Earlier this month, Moscow and Terhran signed a defense agreement.
Tel Aviv is attempting to downplay the transfer. An Israeli official claimed that Tel Aviv is not sending the Patriots to Ukraine but transferred the interceptor back to US control. A second official said Tel Aviv was unaware “whether it was delivered to Ukraine.”
In recent weeks, Ukraine and Israel engaged in multiple high-level discussions, including Zelensky’s meeting with Israeli President Issac Herzog at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel reported that Tel Aviv was considering sending Russian-made weapons seized in Southern Lebanon to Ukraine. The Telegraph noted that some war observers believe those weapons began arriving in Ukraine earlier this week.
