Israel Faces Western Pressure to Send Captured Hezbollah Arms Stockpiles to Ukraine

<p >Israel has reportedly faced mounting pressure from the United States and other Western countries to send the large arms caches captured from the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah to equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A number of Western sources have claimed that such transfers have already been initiated, with U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports used to deliver the aircraft from Israel’s Hatzerim Air Base to the Polish city of Rzeszow – a key logistical hub for Western supplies to Ukraine. The possibility of supplying Ukraine with Hezbollah’s equipment was first raised publicly by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharon Haskel in January 21. Armaments captured include significant caches of advanced anti tank guided missiles, rocket propelled grenades, RPG-29 grenade launchers, and Strela-2 man-portable air defence systems, significant quantities of which were of Russia, Iranian and North Korean origin. The Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, was quick to deny claims that arms transfers have taken place. Israel has for the past two years faced significant pressure from its strategic partners in the Western Bloc to equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including to <a href=" >supply</a> its retired MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence systems to the country.</p><p ><img src=" title="Hezbollah Serviceman with Five Kornet Missiles" ></p><p >Following the <a href=" >fall of the Syrian government </a>on December 8, and the overrunning of the country by Turkish and <a href=" Brodsky," target="_blank">Israeli backed</a> paramilitary groups, Israel initiated a <a href=" >large scale ground invasion</a> of its neighbour which saw it capture large quantities of Syrian equipment. A significant possibility remains that Israel will seek to use these large stockpiles of equipment as leverage, possibly to press Russia not to supply <a href=" target="_blank">advanced aerial warfare systems</a> such as Su-35 fighter aircraft to Iran. Alongside Israel, paramilitaries now controlling Syria, which have significant Turkish military presences within their ranks have captured very sizeable Syrian arms stockpiles, fuelling speculation <a href=" >as early as December 9</a> that these could be transferred to Ukraine. Multiple sources reported that a central objective of U.S. State Secretary Anthony Blinken’s visit to Turkey in the aftermath of Syria’s fall was to secure access to Syrian arsenals for transfer to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as they faced <a href=" >growing equipment shortages</a>. The discrepancy between Russian and Ukrainian armaments has continued to grow as the Western world’s weapons stockpiles dwindled, while Russia has received very large scale <a href=" >supplies from North Korea</a>. The possibility of Ukraine receiving armaments captured from both the Syrian state and from Hezbollah have the potential to significantly bolster Ukraine’s position, particularly after the country lowered its conscription age and has sought to rebuild a large ground force with Western financing.</p>

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