This week defense officials told Axios that the United States has begun transferring Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel for eventual delivery to Ukraine.
Some 90 Patriot missiles will first be sent from Israel to Poland, after which they'll go to Ukraine as part of stepped-up efforts of Washington to boost Ukraine's air defenses. Russian missiles and drones have been pummeling Ukrainian cities, and especially power and energy infrastructure, on a near daily basis.
The Patriot system has become somewhat irrelevant or outdated in Israel since it was first introduced there some three decades ago. Israel is now reliant on the Iron Dome and its other domestically developed systems.
The Patriots have instead long been used for training purposes in Israel, with the bulk of the arsenal having been relegated to storage.
Axios notes that "Last April, the Israeli Air Force officially decommissioned the Patriot air defense system, more than 30 years after it was first given to Israel during the first Gulf War."
From there, the prior Biden administration began working on a plan to refurbish the stored missiles and give them to Ukraine.
But Israel was deeply wary at the time of poking or crossing Russia:
- For several months, Israel dragged its feet out of concern Russia would retaliate, perhaps by supplying sophisticated weapons to Iran.
- A Ukrainian official tells Axios Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to take his calls on that issue for weeks.
- But in late September, Netanyahu finally approved the idea, an Israeli official says.
Israel will no doubt be much more cooperative with the US on Ukraine in the wake of December 8. That's when longtime leader Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, and with the end of his rule Iranian forces have pulled out of the country.
Additionally, Russia is busy packing up its two military bases on the Syrian coast. The bases' ultimate status is anything but clear at this point, but much heavy equipment has been set up at a Libyan port.
While Assad was in power, and Russian presence inside Syria was significant, Israel had to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with Moscow and Washington. Throughout nearly three years of the Ukraine war, Israel has rebuffed calls from Kiev to send weaponry.
Ukraine has tried to argue that the presence of Iranian drones used by Russian forces is a threat which Israel can help counter. It's looking like Israel may begin boosting some level of support to the Zelensky government in coordination with the US, also as the truce in Gaza is holding.
