So far Israel refuses to supply top-notch air defense systems to Ukraine but still can change its decision. In particular, this will happen if Iran starts supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, KAN News reported.
This statement was made by the Chairman of the National Security Council of Israel Eyal Hulata at a forum in Bahrain. He did not specify whether he was talking about Israeli-made missiles. But most analysts and experts assumed that the warning concerned this type of weapon.
Photo: TimesOfIsrael / AP
The newspaper reported that a representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in conversations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov protested against the use of Iranian kamikaze drones by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Iran to transfer missiles to Russia
Ukrainian intelligence has long said that Russia and Iran have already reached an agreement on the supply of ballistic missiles. Tehran plans to deliver them by air to the temporarily occupied Crimea and across the Caspian Sea to Russia. It is assumed that Russia will be able to double its attacks on Ukraine after Iran provides it with its missiles.
Can Ukraine withstand Iranian missiles?
A spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat noted that the main stockpile of weapons in Ukraine is Soviet equipment. In particular, the Buk and S-300 systems, which are difficult to operate, increase the risk of human error. Also, these systems do not detect cruise missiles.
However, the Western NASAMS and IRIS-T air defense systems provided to Ukraine are more efficient and simple. The Ukrainian military has fully mastered them in just a few weeks of training. The advantage of these systems is the ability to exchange data between the complexes – that is, the radar of one SAM detects an enemy target, and another can shoot it down.
Iran’s involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine
Iran acknowledged that it had provided drones to Russia, but the country’s foreign minister insisted that the transfer of UAVs had occurred before Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine. However, this version is not plausible.
Despite the Iranian declaration, the chronology of the events on the battlefield does not seem to support its claim. Russia only started using Iranian attack drones in the war in September. Why then didn’t Moscow employ drones before while losing battles in the war if it had it? The Iranian declaration seems to be a very awkward attempt to find a justification for this wrongdoing knowing that it cannot deny anymore that Russia obtained its drones.
Additional EU against Iran sanctions over drone supplies
According to EU officials, new sanctions against Iran will be adopted, targeting individuals involved in the transfer of electronic parts for drones as well as those who sell drones to Iran, as we reported previously.
In October, the EU approved sanctions against Iran over its drone supply to Russia, then used in Moscow’s war in Ukraine to bombard energy infrastructure.
Iran sends Russia combat kamikaze drones Shahed-136. The Russian invaders are trying to hide the origin of the drones, marking them “Geran”.
Iranian advisors spotted in the war in Ukraine
Furthermore, Iran sent its military advisors to instruct Russian troops on how to use its combat drones, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Kyiv stated that the Iranian government also intends to send a new group of advisors to Russia to train Russian troops in the use of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles and a brand-new class of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), called the “Arash-2.” Their deliveries are expected to start soon.
Read also: 10 Iranian instructors killed in Ukraine war
