According to Axios, the US asked Israel to send MIM-23 Hawk anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, decommissioned and sent to warehouses, but was refused.
It informs Censor. NO with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
“High-ranking Israeli and US officials said that two weeks ago, the Pentagon contacted the Israeli Ministry of Defense and requested that the Hawk systems in storage be transferred to Ukraine,” Axios notes.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense responded to the US request with a refusal, recalling that Israel still does not supply weapons to Ukraine, and that the MIM-23 Hawk systems are not in working order due to long-term storage without proper maintenance.
However, Israeli officials told Axios that while the MIM-23 Hawk launchers may be inoperable, hundreds of missiles can still be serviced and used.
Israel purchased the MIM-23 Hawk from the US in the 1960s to defend against the air forces of Egypt and Syria. Subsequently, Israel made a bet on more modern weapons systems such as Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, Iron Dome and Arrow anti-missile systems. About a decade ago, Israel withdrew the MIM-23 Hawk from combat duty. However, as a representative of the Israeli authorities told Axios, 10 batteries of this air defense system and hundreds of missiles remain in the warehouses.
In January, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, stated that the MIM-23 Hawk systems, although outdated, could still play a role, and that the US was working with partners and allies to transfer them to Ukraine.