Israel is considering providing military aid to Ukraine – PM

In addition to humanitarian aid, Israel is considering providing "other types of aid" to Ukraine, including military assistance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this in an interview with CNN, quoted by The Jerusalem Post.

As the publication notes, Israel is concerned about a "complex relationship" with russia and not only. However, the government is "looking into" the possibility of providing Ukraine with other types of assistance.

Netanyahu said the following about Israeli-russian relations:

"What we have with russia is a complex relationship because not very far from here, a few miles from here on our northern border with Syria, Israeli aircraft and russian aircraft are flying within spitting distance of each other. 

russia is militarily in Syria. Iran is trying to implant itself in Syria right next to our northern border, the way they did in Lebanon with Hezbollah."

The journalist asked the Israeli prime minister whether he would consider providing military support to Ukraine.

Netanyahu said, "I'm certainly looking into it" (as quoted by The Jerusalem Post). At the same time, he noted that the US recently took 250,000 shells stored in Israel and handed them over to Ukraine.

"It's [the US] decision, it's fine, I have no problem with that," Netanyahu concluded.

The head of the Israeli government also said Israel opposes Iran's production of weapons "used against Ukraine."

"Israel also, frankly, acts in ways that I will not itemize here against Iran's weapons productions, which are used against Ukraine," Netanyahu stressed. 

He said that not only Israel is trying to stop Iran's nuclear program "but also taking action against certain weapons development that Iran has, and Iran invariably exports them."

In the same interview, the Prime Minister of Israel declared his readiness to mediate the negotiations between Ukraine and russia.

Since russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Israel didn't get too involved. In October, Israel started transferring Ukraine intelligence, Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky later stated that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured the President of Ukraine that he would "figure it out" and "think" how to help Ukraine obtain Israeli air defense systems.

In January, Israel came under backlash for the conversation between the Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, and the aggressor country's foreign minister, sergey lavrov. Ukraine's ambassador to Israel said it might indicate a change in Israeli policy.

The Israeli side officially started to transfer smart missile and drone warning technologies to Ukraine.