The U.S. reportedly asked the Israeli government to transfer its old Hawk anti-aircraft missiles in storage to Ukraine but Israel refused the request, three Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.
Top defense official Dror Shalom reportedly said the Hawk systems, purchased from the U.S. in the 1960s, are “obsolete” and can’t function because of how long they’ve been in storage without maintenance.
Still, other officials said the hundreds of Hawk interceptors in storage could be refurbished and used.
Israel has ten Hawk batteries and hundreds of interceptors remaining in storage, according to Axios’ sources.
Israel’s Defense Ministry told Axios that the “position of the Israel security establishment hasn’t changed” and that every request would be reviewed case-by-case.
