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Fearing Russia's Response, Israel Opposes Selling Defensive Weapons to Ukraine
(Ha'aretz) Yaniv Kubovich - The Israeli defense establishment is opposed to any transfer of weapons systems to Ukraine, even for defensive purposes. Defense officials say the argument that defensive systems aren't equivalent to offensive ones is likely to boomerang on Israel, because it might lead the Russians to adopt the same logic in the Middle East and start supplying their own advanced aerial defense systems, like the S-300 and S-400, to Iran and Syria. Moscow could argue that these systems are merely meant to protect other Mideast countries against Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli air force's uncontested control over the region's airspace is seen by defense officials as a strategic asset. Consequently, several officials said anything that could undermine Israel's aerial superiority would be a strategic blow to the Israel Defense Forces. Defense officials also worry that aerial defense systems supplied to Ukraine could hit Russian planes and kill Russian air crews. In 2018, when a Syrian aerial defense system downed of a Russian spy plane, killing 15 Russian soldiers, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Israel. For now, defense officials said, Washington understands the sensitive situation Israel is in and isn't pressuring it to give Ukraine military aid. Defense officials also said the Iron Dome antimissile system is strategically important for Israel, so there's no scenario in which Israel would give such systems to Ukraine at the expense of its own aerial defense. Moreover, Iron Dome isn't suited to Ukraine's needs, defense officials say, as it is designed for comparatively short-range interception.