US Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl asked the Israeli Defense Ministry’s director general Amir Eshel earlier in May whether Israel would give permission for the transfer of Spike missiles, Axios reported. Under the license, Israel must approve the transfer of its technology to a third party.
Israeli and US officials told the news website that Eshel had turned down the request, arguing that Israel would only supply nonlethal equipment to Ukraine. Axios cited a senior Israeli official as saying that Israel feared Russia could use its influence in Syria to harm Israel’s security interests.
The United States has been putting pressure on Ukraine’s donors to funnel weapons into the conflict-torn country as Russia pushes on with the military operation. US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Israel during a Middle East trip in June.