- Category
- Latest news
Israel Seeks Ukraine’s Expertise on Iranian Drones Years After Refusing Military Aid
- Authors
![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Israel has approached Ukraine to discuss potential cooperation in countering Iranian-made drones, seeking Kyiv’s expertise after years of Ukraine defending against such systems during Russia’s war.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
According to Ynet on March 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss cooperation on intercepting Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles. The request comes as Israel faces growing security challenges related to Iranian drone capabilities.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, confirmed that the request had been received. According to Ynet, Korniychuk said the conversation has not yet taken place due to scheduling constraints, but it may occur early next week.
The Israeli outlet reported that Israel is interested in Ukraine’s experience intercepting Iranian-designed drones such as the Shahed series, which Russia has used extensively during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have developed multiple methods to counter these drones, including air defense systems, electronic warfare tools, and interceptor drones designed specifically to destroy incoming UAVs.
According to Ukrainian officials cited in the report, Kyiv has received 11 requests from countries—including neighbors of Iran, European states, and the US—seeking security cooperation related to countering Iranian drones.
Several Gulf countries have also expressed interest in purchasing Ukrainian interceptor drones, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine previously sought cooperation with Israel in the field of air and missile defense in October 2022, after Russia began large-scale use of Iranian Shahed drones against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
At the time, Ukrainian officials argued that Iran was effectively testing its weapons in combat conditions through Russia’s use of the drones, warning that this could eventually pose a security risk for Israel.
However, Israel declined to provide weapons to Ukraine. According to The Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu said in 2023 that Israel rejected requests from both the United States and Ukraine to supply weapons to Kyiv.
Netanyahu told The Wall Street Journal that Israel was concerned weapons transferred to Ukraine could be captured and potentially passed to Iran, including technology related to the Iron Dome air defense system developed jointly with the United States.
Iran has been one of Russia’s key military partners since the start of the full-scale invasion, supplying drones that have been used in repeated attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s experience in defending against these systems has since drawn increasing interest from countries seeking to counter similar threats.
-9a7b3a98ed5c506e0b77a6663f5727c5.png)
