Ukraine has received approximately 90 Patriot air defense system missiles that were stored in Israel. This delivery was facilitated by the United States, as reported by a Pentagon spokesperson, according to CNN.
Israel operated these air defense systems for over 30 years before decommissioning them in April. Discussions about transferring the missiles to Ukraine have been ongoing since last summer when the Biden administration sought to provide Kyiv with additional air defense resources to counter Russian attacks.
Ukraine is in urgent need of more Patriot missiles, as Russia regularly conducts missile and drone strikes, testing the resilience of its air defense system.
However, Israeli military assistance to Kyiv remains limited. The country's leaders have tried to avoid harsh criticism of the Kremlin, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has balanced relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, complicating the final decision on the transfer of munitions.
Ultimately, the U.S. Patriot missiles were first transferred to Israel, and from there, they were sent to Ukraine.
Israel Phases Out Patriot
The Israel Defense Forces announced the decommissioning of the Patriot in April. This system was integrated into the Israeli military in 1991, and its first combat use occurred during the war with Hamas in 2014, when a Patriot shot down an enemy drone launched from Gaza.
However, the Patriot is not Israel's primary air defense system. In total, Israeli Patriot batteries have conducted 19 interceptions, nine of which occurred during the current conflict with Hamas. Instead, Israel relies much more on the "Iron Dome" for protection against short-range missiles, as well as on "David's Sling" for medium-range defense and "Arrow" for long-range defense.