Leaked Pentagon Document Suggests Israel May Supply Weapons to Ukraine
According to a New York Times report, a leaked Pentagon document revealed that Israel may supply Ukraine with lethal weapons in certain scenarios. The document assessed that Israel would only provide Ukraine with weapons if diplomatic ties with Russia were at a crisis point, either from Russia’s ties with Iran or if Israeli aircraft were to be damaged by Russian defense systems in Syria.
The most likely scenario presented in the document was the “Turkish Model,” in which Israel would supply defense systems through a third party while still supporting dialogue between Ukraine and Russia. Another scenario raised by the document was the US cooperating with Israeli demands to prepare action against Iran in order to pressure Israel into giving Ukraine weapons.
Among the Israeli weapons listed in the document that could possibly be sent to Ukraine were Barak 8 missiles, the Spyder air defense system, and Spike anti-tank missiles.
While the US and countries throughout Europe have supplied Ukraine with military aid since Russia invaded Ukraine, Israel has refused the request and opted instead to supply Ukraine with humanitarian aid. Ukrainian requests for military aid were refused by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid and again in the last few months by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
