Ukraine Asked Israel For Intel On Iran’s Role In Russian Invasion

Ukraine has reportedly asked Israel to share intelligence on Tehran’s support for the Russian military in the war, as it downgraded diplomatic ties with the Iran for supplying drones. 

Axios cited senior Israeli officials as saying that Israel's deputy director general for Eurasia Simona Halperin visited Kyiv with the Israeli ambassador on September 7 to establish a “dialogue channel” with Ukraine about Middle East issues in order to share information and intelligence and coordinate positions. 

According to the unnamed officials, the Israelis held a meeting with Maksym Subkh, Ukraine's special representative for the Middle East, in which he stressed that Ukraine is opposed to the lifting of sanctions on Iran if a nuclear deal is signed, saying it will enable greater military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

Subkh also told the Israeli diplomats that Ukraine expects Israel to take a much clearer position regarding the Russian aggression and unequivocally support Ukraine, which Israel has avoided because of their own relations with Russia.

"The Israelis gave us some intelligence, but we need much more," a senior Ukrainian official confirmed, saying that Halperin asked Subkh for intelligence on Iranian involvement in the war. 

Calling it "a collaboration with evil," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that at least eight Iranian-made unmanned aerial (UAVs) vehicles had been shot down so far in the conflict.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned in mid-July that Russia was preparing to acquire military drones from Iran. Later reports indicated a Russian delegation visiting Iran and assessing the potential of Iranian drones in its war in Ukraine.