Israel's Netanyahu concerned its defense systems may reach Iran if sent to Ukraine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled concerns successful an interrogation published Thursday that Israeli-manufactured defence systems, including the U.S.-funded Iron Dome, could scope Iran if they were transferred to Ukraine.

In a video interrogation with the Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu hinted that, if systems utilized by Ukrainian forces were to autumn into Russian hands, the country's choky narration with chap U.S.-sanctioned federation Iran could spot them extremity up nether Tehran's control. He did not specify precisely however Iran would get this equipment.

Moscow has utilized Iranian-made Shahed drones successful the warfare successful Ukraine, rebranded arsenic Geran. Tehran has successful the past said it did not proviso these weapons to Russia for usage against Kyiv.

"We're acrophobic besides with the anticipation that systems that we would springiness to Ukraine would autumn into Iranian hands and could beryllium reverse engineered, and we would find ourselves facing Israeli systems utilized against Israel," Netanyahu told the newspaper.

"That's not a theoretical … threat, due to the fact that Western systems, anti-tank systems for example, did precisely that journey, that we present find them connected our borders with [Iran-backed group] Hezbollah."

Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized its urgent request for aerial defence systems and ammunition to upwind the aerial onslaught of the ongoing Russian offensive. U.S. senators Chris Van Hollen and Lindsey Graham person successful caller days urged Israel to assistance its alleged veto connected the transportation of the Iron Dome aerial defence and rocket interception strategy to Kyiv.

 "To beryllium clear, we are not asking Israel to transportation its ain Iron Dome systems which are captious to their ain security, but simply to let the United States to transportation our ain batteries to assistance the radical of Ukraine," the senators said in a associated connection dated June 23.

In a scathing Facebook statement, the Ukrainian embassy to Israel connected June 25 said "the existent Israeli authorities has opted for a way of adjacent practice with the state federation," citing Israel's diplomatic engagement with Moscow and its perceived "near lack of Israeli humanitarian assistance to Ukraine."

In a further connection connected June 28, the Ukrainian embassy appealed to Israel, making notation to the caller Russian shelling of a edifice successful the eastbound metropolis of Kramatorsk, which near 12 dead.

"The Russians are murdering our citizens - and Israel inactive refuses to merchantability defence instrumentality to Ukraine!" It said. "If israel known for its antiaircraft capabilities, volition supply Ukraine with indispensable protective instrumentality - lives volition beryllium saved."

Asked astir these comments, Netanyahu said Israel is not neutral successful the struggle and has stressed its sympathy and stance with Ukraine, but that it is taxable to "limitations" and nationalist information concerns.

"My archetypal interest, careless of sympathy, and the steps that we take, is to guarantee the information of the 1 and lone Jewish state," helium said.

Israel's stance could besides beryllium related to an unwillingness to imperil its advancement to antagonistic Tehran successful neighboring Syria.

"Israel's reluctance to condemn Russia's actions is archetypal and foremost a strategical determination successful bid to debar jeopardizing an unofficial statement with Moscow that enables Israel to combat Iranian power successful Syria," the Atlantic Council pointed retired successful precocious April.

"Since its subject involution began successful 2015, Russia has been among the ascendant forces successful Syria. Russia controls the Syrian entity and mostly does not restrict Israeli combatant jets from conducting strikes connected Iranian proxies. With this successful mind, Israel does not privation to hazard alienating the Kremlin."

Indeed, successful the Wall Street Journal interview, Netanyahu acknowledged that "our pilots are flying close adjacent to Russian pilots implicit the skies of Syria successful bid to artifact the attempts of Iran to found a 2nd Hezbollah beforehand successful Syria."

Israel has recovered itself progressively isolated successful its absorption to Iran, aft Saudi Arabia and Tehran ended a seven-year rift done a China-brokered re-establishment of ties this March. The U.S. and Iran renewed negotiations implicit a prospective captive swap earlier this month, several sources told NBC News, amid questions astir whether the 2 administrations would research a imaginable informal woody to avert Iran's accelerating atomic program.

Official negotiations to instrumentality Washington to a variant of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action atomic statement with Iran – mediated by the European Union and different signatories – did not pb to a breakthrough.

Addressing the anticipation of a caller U.S. agreement, Netanyahu said that "any woody with Iran that doesn't acceptable backmost their atomic infrastructure, that doesn't fundamentally instrumentality it apart, is not precise useful."

The U.S. State Department and Iranian and Russian overseas ministries did not instantly respond to CNBC requests for remark implicit the anticipation that systems deployed successful enactment of Ukraine yet travel nether Iranian control.