Russia took part of air defense from Syria. Israel may change its mind about helping Ukraine, - New York Times
Russia recently transferred some troops and equipment, including air defense systems, from Syria. This removed one of the main constraints on Israeli military action in Syria and could change Israel’s position on aid to Ukraine.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the American publication The New York Times.
The publication learned about the transfer of Russian troops from two high-ranking Western diplomats and a high-ranking Israeli defense official, who wished to remain anonymous. According to two of them, the Russians withdrew between 1,200 and 1,600 soldiers from Syria, while another said they withdrew much more.
In addition, as the Israeli official reported, the Russians have relocated several of their commanders from Syria to Ukraine, and the Russian military leadership has become less involved in the day-to-day management of operations in Syria and coordination with Israel.
Israel regularly strikes military targets in Syria to prevent Iranian forces from entrenching near its northeastern border. However, in 2018, Russia transferred its air defense systems to Syria, which posed a threat to Israeli aircraft.
As the NYT explains, the risk that Russian air defenses could be used against Israeli aircraft deterred the Israeli government from providing military support to Ukraine after a full-scale Russian invasion.
After the withdrawal of the S-300 systems, according to the three officials, Russian influence over Israel in Syria decreased, thereby changing Israel's views on helping Ukraine. In particular, the other day, Israeli Minister Nachman Shai called for military aid to Ukraine after it became known about the supply of Iranian weapons to Russia.
