While Ukraine has spent over a year battling relentless barrages of Iranian-made drones unleashed by Russia, its repeated efforts to help Israel prepare for a similar threat from Tehran have been consistently spurned, Ukrainian officials say.
"Both sides have something to learn, but it seems Israel is not interested," a diplomatic source in Kyiv told Israel Hayom. The rebuff is of particular significance amid a CBS News report that American intelligence has warned Israel that Iran was plotting to retaliate for the assassination of senior figures in an alleged Israeli strike in Damascus by launching a combined assault of explosive drones and cruise missiles – an attack the Israeli military has not yet faced.
Ukrainian officials told Israel Hayom that despite their country being attacked for a year and a half by Iranian "Shahed" drones, so far not a single request has been made by Israel to learn from the immense experience accumulated in intercepting them in particular, and dealing with combined attacks. Kyiv has been surprised by this conduct, since from the beginning of the attacks Ukraine has drawn Israeli attention to the threat, which could one day become tangible for Israeli cities as well, and suggested that the two cooperate on the matter – but to no avail.
Israel's previous government under Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, as well as the current Netanyahu administration, both rejected requests by former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and current Minister Rustem Umerov to appoint a military attache, the Ukranian officials say.
"When it comes to saving human lives, there is no question" about Ukraine's willingness to share its hard-earned expertise in drone defense, Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Kornichuk told Israel Hayom when asked if Kyiv's was willing to share its experience with Israel on the matter. The IDF did not respond to a request for comment.
While Israel's reticence may stem from a reluctance to provoke Tehran or Moscow, the apparent snubbing of Ukraine's offered assistance could prove costly should Iran follow through with the type of drone and missile barrages pummeling Ukrainian cities.
