The American military transported approximately 90 missiles to the Patriot air defense systems from a warehouse in Israel to Poland, intending to deliver them to Ukraine.
This information comes from Axios, citing three informed sources. The publication reports that recently, U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft arrived at an airbase in southern Israel and departed for the Polish city of Rzeszów, which serves as a key hub for delivering Western military aid to Ukraine.
"Sources indicated that this flight carried about 90 Patriot interceptors that can be utilized by Ukraine with its current Patriot batteries. Additional equipment, such as radars and other gear, will first be sent to the U.S. for repairs," the article states.
According to the publication's sources, after the Israeli Defense Forces announced the decommissioning of these missiles, Ukraine reached out to the U.S. and Israel with a proposal for Israel to send these missiles to the U.S. for repairs, after which they would be handed over to the Ukrainian military.
"For several months, Israel hesitated, fearing that Russia might retaliate, possibly supplying modern weaponry to Iran," the article mentions.
An unnamed Ukrainian official told Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had refused to respond to his calls regarding this matter for weeks. However, in September, Netanyahu eventually approved the idea.
A senior Israeli official emphasized that Israel had notified Russia in advance about the transfer of these missiles and underscored that it is "only returning the Patriot system to the U.S.," rather than supplying weapons to Ukraine. A representative from the Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed that the Patriot system was returned to the U.S., but they do not know whether it was ultimately received by Ukraine.
Background
In April 2024, Israel announced that it would completely phase out the Patriot air defense systems. At that time, it was noted that they would be replaced with more advanced air defense capabilities. Even then, media outlets discussed Ukraine in the context of Israel's decision to abandon these systems.
It is known that the Patriot systems were successful against some Scud missiles launched from Iraq at Israel during the Gulf War in 1991. They were officially adopted by Israel in the same year, but the first Patriot interception did not occur until 2014, when the system intercepted a Hamas drone launched from the Gaza Strip.