Netanyahu blocked transfer of Iron Dome systems from the U.S. to Ukraine

According to The Washington Post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vetoed the transfer of Iron Dome air defense systems from the United States to Ukraine in 2023.

The transfer of the air defense systems was supported by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. However, Netanyahu cited the terms of a co-production agreement that gives Israel final say over the use of the system — even though the batteries were paid for by the American government.

The Israeli embassy in Washington is defending the decision, stating that Iron Dome technology could have fallen into Iranian hands. The embassy also notes that Israel instead returned Patriot batteries to the United States for shipment to Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is not concerned about Israel’s right to veto arms exports and spoke positively about the idea of closer defense industry partnerships between the two countries.

Meanwhile, American lawmakers intend to expand cooperation with Israel beyond missile defense to cover biological weapons, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and directed energy systems. A corresponding provision has been included in a defense policy bill worth approximately €1 trillion passed by the House of Representatives. It has the support of Netanyahu, pro-Israel lawmakers from both parties, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee AIPAC. However, the provision has drawn criticism from left-wing Democrats and some right-wing Republicans, who are running a coordinated campaign to block it in the Senate.

On August 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there was a shortage of Patriot missiles: air defense systems had managed to shoot down only one ballistic missile during a Russian strike. The Atlantic, citing sources, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump refused Zelensky’s request to transfer 300 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine for protection during the winter.

On July 31, Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times that he had not decided whether Washington would grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot missiles, but that the possibility was being considered.