03 Feb 2023; MEMO: The Israeli government is mulling its policy towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the possibility of providing Ukraine with defence systems, the Israeli website Walla reported, citing three senior Israeli officials.
Israel is under pressure from the Biden administration and Democratic and Republican Congressmen, as well as from other Western governments to provide military aid, such as missile defence systems, to Ukraine.
So far, Israeli officials assert that Tel Aviv has rejected most US and Ukrainian requests to supply Ukraine with defence systems out of fear that this step could lead to tensions with Russia and harm Israeli security interests in Syria.
Earlier this week Russia warned Israel against delivering weapons to Ukraine.
"We say that all countries that deliver weapons must understand that we will consider these weapons as legitimate targets for the Russian armed forces," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
