Ukraine May Receive Soviet Arms Seized by Israel in Lebanon
26 January, 2025 Illustration photo of an American C-17 in Israel, 2023. Source: Senior Airman Edgar Grimaldo Israel may have started the process of transferring to Ukraine Russian and Soviet-made weapons captured during the fighting in Lebanon.
This is suggested by the OSINTdefender project, which has detected flights of U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft from Israel to Poland. Several of the C-17s reportedly started at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, flew to Israel's Hatzerim Air Base, and then traveled to Rzeszow, Poland.
Rzeszow is the main logistics hub for military aid, which is then sent to Ukraine.
The route of one of the C-17s. Source: OSINTdefender
A single C-17 can carry up to 77 tons of payload, which, given the low weight of anti-tank and other weapons and ammunition, can mean a fairly large number of weapons.
Initiatives of representatives of the Israeli government
Militarnyi previously reported that Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel offered to transfer captured Russian-made weapons to Ukraine. This concerns weapons that were seized in Lebanon and elsewhere from Israeli enemies.
Also in June, it became known that the USA, Israel, and Ukraine were negotiating to supply Kyiv with Patriot air defense systems, which were being decommissioned by the Israeli Defense Forces.
Trophy Russian weapons
In early November, Militarnyi reported that the Israeli Defense Forces were considering forming new anti-tank units equipped with weapons captured from Hezbollah. This decision was discussed in light of the numerous anti-tank weapons captured during the operation in southern Lebanon, including Soviet and Russian-made systems. Initially, it was planned to be utilized, but then it was taken to Israel.
Hezbollah weapons captured by the Israeli military. October 2024.
Footage from Channel 13 video
From the very beginning of the operation in Lebanon, Israeli troops captured large warehouses of the Hezbollah terrorist group, which were filled with weapons, including those made in Russia. Among the samples were 9M131FM (thermobaric) and 9M131M missiles of the Metis-M anti-tank missile system. In addition, the 9K32M Strela-2 portable anti-aircraft missile system and RPG-29 Vampire and RPG-27 Tavolga rocket-propelled grenade launchers were shown.
Missiles for 9K135 Kornet anti-tank missile systems, Iranian Almas, RPG-7 infantry grenade launchers, grenades, and numerous small arms and ammunition were also seized. Military observer Yigal Levin detailed that in total, more than 85,000 units of various weapons, ammunition and equipment were taken from Lebanon to Israel, including about 6,840 units of launchers for ATGMs, rocket-propelled grenades and grenade launchers.
Weapons seized in Lebanon. Source: Yigal Levin
In addition, about 9,000 pieces of explosive devices, about 2,250 rocket and artillery shells, about 2,700 small arms and about 2,860 other pieces of other weapons were removed.
Approximately 60 missiles for air defense systems and man-portable air defense systems and about 300 binoculars and surveillance equipment were also taken.
It is worth noting that not all the weapons were produced in the USSR or Russia, some were made in Iran, North Korea, China, and other countries.