“The U.S.,” writes Jacob Nagel, “is duty-bound to help Ukraine to defeat the brutal invasion of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, [and] Israel must do its utmost to lend a hand.” What neither country should do, the former Israeli national security adviser goes on to argue, is send Kyiv its most advanced missile-defense systems—despite the repeated pleas of Volodymyr Zelensky and members of his government.
The Iron Dome is capable of getting the job done in Ukraine. . . . That being said, there are four reasons why Israel cannot afford to send the Iron Dome and other systems to Ukraine.
The main and most important reason is obvious: it is almost certain that any system provided to Ukraine will ultimately fall into the hands of the Russians and subsequently transferred intact to the Iranians, even if the Ukrainian forces limit their deployment to the Kyiv area (as they have claimed they would in some cases). The know-how and the combat experience will then be used by Iran to develop capabilities that would overcome Iron Dome’s defense and ultimately lower its effectiveness.
The second reason we should not provide such systems is that Israel still doesn’t have enough interceptors for its own operational needs, especially when it comes to countering the threat on the northern border. . . . Third, even if Israel agreed to send weapon systems, it would still take time—presumably, months if not years—before they could be phased into service in Ukraine after the troops get proper training. These three reasons are as valid for the U.S. as they are for Israel.
There is a fourth reason why Israel should not heed Ukraine’s request: the impact on Israel-Russia relations and the dwindling presence of Russia in Syria, as well as the threat of Iran replacing it. While it is less important, this reason should not be overlooked. The war may have led Russia to take troops out of Syria and deploy them in Ukraine. Still, this seemingly positive development has become a source of concern because Iran seeks to fill this vacuum with the backing of Russia and Syria. Having Israel send systems to Ukraine could create a potential threat by Russia, Syria, or Iran to Israel’s freedom of maneuver.
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/why-israel-must-not-provide-the-iron-dome-to-ukraine/