Israel is not giving the Iron Dome air defense system or other weapons to Ukraine because of its concerns that they might end up in Iran’s possession, Netanyahu said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
“I think, it’s important to understand that we are concerned also with the possibility that systems that we would give to Ukraine would fall into Iranian hands,” he continued.
Netanyahu pointed out that if that happens, Tehran would be able to use Israeli weapons against Israel.
He noted that Israel is a densely populated country and so far, it has been avoiding major casualties because the Iron Dome system was shooting down 95% of the missiles targeting Israel’s population centers.
“Now, if that system would fall in the hands of Iran, then millions of Israelis would be left defenseless and in peril,” he added.
While Israel has condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, it has not taken part in the Western sanctions on Moscow and has refrained from providing lethal aid to Kiev, focusing instead on humanitarian assistance.
Netanyahu has previously expressed concerns over the potential spillover of Israeli weapons. Last week, he stated that the proliferation of weapons is “not a theoretical possibility,” noting that Western anti-tank weapons destined for Ukraine had already found their way to the Middle East.
