Israel has begun transferring air attack alert technology to Ukraine, helping the country receive prior missile and drone attack warnings.
“Work is underway on the transfer of Israeli technology related to smart alert regarding missiles and drones,” Ukrainian ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said on Friday.
“This technology is officially transferred by the Israeli side. And I think that in a certain time, we will get it completely.”
Korniychuk added that Ukraine requires “active military-technical cooperation” with Israel, without providing further details.
Ukraine Wants Israeli Air Defense Systems
Jerusalem first offered the technology to Kyiv in October, eliciting a tepid response from Korniychuk. He said the system on offer was “not relevant anymore.”
The system reportedly sets off a siren or mobile phone alert during a missile launch.
Before the offer, Korniychuk had requested a range of air defense systems from Israel, including the Iron Beam, Barak-8, Patriot, Iron Dome, and David’s Sling.
Cites Iran’s Involvement in Air Attacks
The Ukrainian request was based on Iran’s ballistic missile deliveries to Russia for Ukraine deployment, providing Tehran an opportunity to test and improve the projectiles.
It will “significantly contribute in strengthening Iran’s potential of producing offensive weapons and, as a result, will increase security threats for the state of Israel and the Middle East region,” Korniychuk wrote in a letter to the Israeli foreign ministry.
Why Israel is Not Opposing Russia
Responding to the request, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, “Israel has a policy of supporting Ukraine via humanitarian aid and the delivery of life-saving defensive equipment,” but would not provide weapons systems “due to a variety of operational considerations.”
Israel needs Russia’s cooperation to target Iranian and Hezbollah positions in Syria, where Moscow has deployed its forces, including S-300 air defense systems.