Israel justifies its opposition to arming Ukraine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted that Israel is in a complex situation due to its agreement with Russia over Syria, which prevents Iran from creating a "third front" against the Jewish state on its northern border. Israel has repeatedly warned Syria against sheltering Hezbollah militia members, an organization it has designated as terrorist and deems to be linked to Iran. Israeli pilots and Russian pilots are flying within spitting distance of each other over the skies of Syria, and Israel had an arrangement struck with the Russian government and with the Russian Air Force, and the Russian Army in Syria that they do not shoot down each other's planes. No other European country supporting Ukraine has similar circumstance in its relations with Moscow. Israel is offering humanitarian and defensive assistance to Ukraine, such as early warning systems and jamming anti-drone systems.

Israel has condemned Russia's military operation against Ukraine, but has not joined the Western sanctions against Moscow. It has also rebuffed Ukraine's requests for its Iron Dome air defense systems, arguing it does not have a large enough production base to meet Kiev's needs. However, Axios reported that Israel had approved export licenses for the possible sale of jamming systems to Kiev. Israeli officials told the outlet that the move does not mark a shift in the nation's policies over the conflict, as the equipment is defensive in nature and jams a UAV's signal rather than targeting it with munitions.