Israel’s balancing act over Ukraine grows trickier after drone strikes
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Israel’s balancing act over Ukraine grows trickier after drone strikes
Israel has repeated its long-standing refusal to sell air defence weapons to Ukraine despite a fresh appeal from Kyiv after this week's "kamikaze" drone strikes.
The weapons unleashed by Russia were reportedly Shahed-136 drones supplied by Iran - causing Kyiv to make a fresh demand for help saying Tehran's "complicity" should be a "red line" for Israel.
Israel and Iran are avowed enemies, but the Israelis have so far refrained from providing Ukraine with weapons in a bid to maintain relations with Moscow.
On Wednesday, Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz said their position had not changed.
"Our policy toward Ukraine is clear - we are on the side of the West, we provided humanitarian aid, took care of refugees and the wounded," he told Israel's Kan radio.
"For obvious reasons, we did not want to involve ourselves in combat systems. This was the policy until now. I am careful about this matter."
Speaking later to EU diplomats, Mr Gantz said: "We will not provide weapon systems."
At least eight people were killed in Monday's explosive drone attacks in Ukraine.
The US believes the drones - or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - were transferred from Iran to Russia in violation of a United Nations resolution linked to the Iran nuclear deal, which bars transfers of certain military technologies. Iran denies supplying the drones to Moscow.
After the attacks Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the country would request air defence systems from Israel "without delay".
"Now that Iran has effectively become an accomplice in the crime of aggression against Ukraine, I think that if there is anyone in Israel who is still unsure about whether or not to help Ukraine, this hesitation should now dissipate," he said.
"The same drones that are destroying Ukraine today are also aimed at Israel," he added.
'Freedom of action' in Syria
Monday's UAV strikes followed a growing number of Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian cities.
The issue of air defences rose to the top of the agenda at meetings in Brussels last week of Nato defence ministers, who said countering Russian strikes would require a patchwork of systems.
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