Ukraine and Israel discuss military assistance and Iranian drones

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, held a telephone conversation with Yair Lapid, Israeli Prime Minister, on Thursday, October 20.

The minister wrote about this on Twitter.

During the conversation, they discussed Ukraine’s appeal to Israel for air defense, missile defense systems and technologies.

The Foreign Minister informed his vis-a-vis about casualties and destruction due to Russian missile strikes and the use of Iranian kamikaze drones.

“Spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and informed him of the untold suffering, loss of life and destruction caused by Iranian-made Russian missiles and drones,” Kuleba wrote.

The ministers also discussed possible military assistance for Ukraine, in particular in air defense.

“We discussed in detail Ukraine’s request to Israel to provide air defense and missile defense systems and technologies,” the head of the foreign ministry wrote.

The minister did not specify what was the outcome of the conversation, or whether any solution was found on the issue.

In turn, Lapid confirmed the fact of such a conversation, but did not go into the details of the discussion.

He noted that he shared with Kuleba “deep concern over military ties between Iran and Russia.” He also added that “Israel stands with the Ukrainian people.”

On October 18, Ukraine appealed to Israel with an official request to launch cooperation in the field of missile and air defense.

The corresponding letter was sent by the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel to the National Foreign Ministry. Ukraine says it is interested in getting missile/air defense systems to protect civilians as soon as possible.

The appeal says that soon Russia will receive from the Islamic Republic of Iran the Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missile systems. And earlier, the Russian Federation received a significant number of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and Mojaher-6 reconnaissance and strike UAVs.

The Ukrainian side draws attention to the fact that without proper opposition, Iran will be able to test the effectiveness of its weapons on the battlefield and will be able to improve them. Thus, this will threaten the security of Israel.

Earlier, the Israeli government offered to help Ukraine develop an early warning system against missile strikes. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on October 19 that his country would not supply weapons to Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion.

Israel sent a request to Ukraine on information exchange concerning the country’s needs for air defense systems and, after receiving a response, will be able to “help develop a rescue system for early warning of civilians.”

“We sent a request to Ukrainians to share information about their needs for air defense warning equipment. Once we get that information, we can help develop a vital early warning system for civilians,” Gantz said.

The Israeli warning system uses a combination of radar and electro-optical devices to detect rocket, projectile and drone launches. It classifies and identifies the threats they pose. Then it puts areas at risk on the map. Citizens receive warnings through sirens, notifications on their phones, and messages on television and radio.