Israel may want to reverse its refusal to sell arms to Ukraine.

Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with the American broadcaster CNN that he was “thinking about” providing Ukraine with “aid other than humanitarian aid”.

Christian Meier

Political correspondent for the Middle East and Northeast Africa.

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The Prime Minister, who has been in office for a month, also pointed out the constraints to which the country is subject: Israel must continue to have freedom of action in Syria in order to keep Iran in check.

Russia controls the airspace over Syria, and Israel needs Moscow's approval if it attacks pro-Iranian forces there.

There is "no need to get into a Russian-Israeli military confrontation," Netanyahu said in the interview broadcast on Tuesday evening.

For these reasons, Israel had so far rejected Ukraine's desire for air defense systems, which Kyiv had expressed before the war.

In the meantime, corresponding requests are also coming from the USA.

Israeli media reported last week that Washington is demanding that Israel supply two older American anti-aircraft missile systems from its inventory: the Hawk and the Patriot.

The Pentagon did not confirm the reports, but a spokesman said it "continuously asks all its partners to do more to support Ukraine's air defenses."

Ukraine would also like to have more modern systems from Israel, such as "Iron Dome".

However, this is only suitable for countering short-range missiles and drones, and one battery can only cover a small area.

In the case of Ukraine, numerous batteries would be required.

Kyiv also asked for the Barak system, which has a longer range of up to 150 kilometers.

Russia warned Israel not to deliver these systems in the fall.

Netanyahu, who boasts of his good relationship with Vladimir Putin, also said in the interview that he was ready to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv.

Shortly after the war began, his predecessor Naftali Bennett, at the request of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, started an attempt at mediation that was unsuccessful.

Netanyahu now said that he was also asked to mediate at the time, but did not want to say by whom.

Now he would be ready "if asked by either side and, frankly, if asked by the United States."