Israeli officials stand next to a Hawk system in Jericho, 1993. Photo: Esaias Baitel/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
The Biden administration asked Israel for the old Hawk anti-aircraft missiles it stocks to transfer to Ukraine, three Israeli and US officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Israel has so far turned down most US and Ukrainian requests to provide Ukraine with advanced and defensive weapons, fearing that such a move could create tensions with Russia and damage Israeli security interests in Syria.
- Ukraine has repeatedly requested such weapons from Western countries to defend against Russian attacks.
- Between the lines: Russia has enormous influence in Syria but allows Israel to freely oppose Iranian activities there.
Flashback: Israel bought the Hawk system from the US in the 1960s to defend against Egyptian and Syrian airstrikes.
- At that time, the anti-aircraft system developed by Raytheon was cutting-edge technology. But in recent years Israel has turned to other systems, including the US Patriot Battery and its own Iron Dome and Arrow defense systems.
- A decade ago, the Israeli military decommissioned the Hawk system. A senior Israeli official told Axios that about 10 Hawk batteries and hundreds of interceptors were stored in Israel.
Backstage: Senior Israeli and US officials said so The Pentagon contacted the Israeli Ministry of Defense two weeks ago and requested the stored Hawk systems to be transferred to Ukraine.
- A US official said similar requests had been made to several other countries where the system is active or in storage.
- The senior Israeli official said an Israel Defense Ministry official had told his US counterparts there was no change in Israel’s policy of not supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.
- According to the Israeli official, the Defense Ministry official said Israel’s Hawk systems are “obsolete” and unable to function because they have been stored without maintenance for so long.
- But Israeli officials say the answer was incorrect. They stressed that although the launchers may be completely inoperable, the hundreds of Hawk interceptors Israel has in storage can be refurbished and used.
- The Israeli Defense Ministry reiterated to Axios in a statement that the “position of the Israeli security apparatus [on giving military aid to Ukraine] has not changed. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”
What you say: Earlier this month, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave a speech at an AIPAC leadership conference in Washington, noting the US request to Israel for the Hawk missiles. But his remarks went almost entirely unnoticed.
- In the speech, Austin mentioned how the Hawk systems helped Israel defend itself in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, also known as the October War.
- “Now the Hawks aren’t state of the art. But they can still help a beleaguered democracy defend itself,” Austin said.
- He added that the US is working with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the Hawk capability.
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that an Israeli Defense Ministry official responded to the Pentagon’s inquiry about the Hawk anti-aircraft missiles, but the official was not Dror Shalom as previously stated.