The Biden administration recently asked Israel for old anti-aircraft missiles of the “Hawk” model that were taken out of service and are in IDF warehouses, in order to transfer them to Ukraine for the purpose of strengthening its air defense system against attacks by the Russian Air Force, according to senior Israeli and American officials to “Walla!”.
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Also according to the report, a senior Israeli official said that Dror Shalom, the head of the political-security division at the Ministry of Defense, told his counterparts at the American Defense Ministry that there is no change in Israel’s policy of denying the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Shalom told his Pentagon counterparts that the “Hook” systems in Israel’s hands are unusable and cannot function because they have been stored for many years without any maintenance. He noted that their only use could be as scrap metal.
Documenting the moment of the bombing of the Glass Bridge in Kiev, Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)
However, senior Israeli officials claim that this claim is inaccurate. According to them, while the launchers probably cannot be returned to operation, the hundreds of “Hook” interceptors that are stored in Israel can undergo renovation and return to operational use, as stated according to the report.
“The policy of the defense system has not changed, each request is examined on its merits. Beyond that, we do not refer to any additional details,” the Ministry of Defense said in response. The American official noted that a similar request was forwarded in the last two months to several other countries that still use the “Hook” system or those that keep them in storage. The United States itself is trying these days to refurbish launchers and interceptors of the “Hawk” system that are in its possession and transfer them to Ukraine.
Anti-aircraft missiles of the “Hook” model were purchased from the United States by Israel already in the 1960s. Israel used them in the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. In those years, this air defense system, developed by the American “Raytheon” company, was considered the most advanced technology.
Austin told the heads of IPAC that the “Hawk” systems that the United States provided to Israel helped it defend itself against Egypt and Syria in the 1960s and 1970s. “Now, the “Hawk” missiles are no longer the pinnacle of technology. But they can help another democracy that is under siege to defend itself,” said the US Secretary of Defense. Austin added that the United States is working with its allies around the world to provide “Hawk” air defense systems to the Ukrainian army.
Ministry of Defense, Kriya (Photo: Reuven Castro)In a speech he gave on January 10 at a gathering of the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC in Washington, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin alluded to the request that the administration made to Israel regarding the “Hawk” missiles. His words went under the radar and received almost no attention in the media.
About a decade ago, the IDF withdrew the “Hawk” missiles from active service and dismantled the reserve units that operated the system. A senior Israeli official said that about 10 “Hawk” launcher batteries were moved to storage in IDF naval bases along with hundreds of interceptors and they are There to this day.
Over the years, Israel purchased new air defense systems from the United States, primarily the Patriot system. Israel has even developed a series of highly advanced air defense systems such as “Iron Dome”, “Arrow” and “Magic Wand”.