Iran-Russia cooperation dangerous for 'Israel': ex-Israeli envoy
The Israeli occupation's former ambassador to Russia talks about the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran, as well as "Tel Aviv's" concerns regarding this cooperation.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shakes hands with meets with then-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 3, 2018 (AP Photo)
The growing cooperation between Iran and Russia poses a real danger to the security of the Israeli occupation, former Israeli ambassador to Moscow and the head of the Russia Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, Arkady Mil-Man, said on Saturday in light of the closer relationship brewing between Tehran and Moscow.
"The dangers of cooperation between Iran and Russia is not only in terms of the usage of drones and the establishment of manufacturing plants for them. There is also a great fear that the Russians help the Iranians on their nuclear program, which we perceive as a serious danger," Mil-Man told Israeli Channel 12.
The Iranians also have the technological capabilities in terms of manufacturing ballistic missiles, he said. "Their usage in the Ukraine war will bring changes [to the conflict...], at the end of the day, these missiles are directed toward Israel," he added.
Israeli media had previously reported on the concerns of the Israeli occupation's military intelligence regarding Russian-Iranian cooperation, chiefly on military and security.
Israeli media cited intelligence reports that alleged there was a bilateral agreement between Iran and Russia to manufacture hundreds of military UAVs in Moscow and export advanced air defense systems from Russia to Iran.
"What is concerning Israel is not only the capability to mass manufacture the drones, through the repercussions of such a step could be tough for Israel," Israeli Channel 13 foreign affairs commentator Nadav Eyal said last week.
"What is also a point of concern is that the transport of advanced Russian air defense systems [to Iran] would make it a lot more difficult for the Israeli air force to target sites on Iranian soil," he added.
Iran has been facing accusations of having supplied weapons to Russia without any substantial evidence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went as far as claiming that Russia was deploying almost 2,500 attack drones purchased from Iran, namely the Iranian Shahed-136 UAVs.
Ukraine's accusations spiraled into the West adopting these claims, and now the United States is using the allegations as a card against Iran.
Russia struck a covert agreement with Iran that will see the former manufacturing hundreds of Iranian UAVs on Russian soil, Israel 24 News reported earlier in the month.
There is new intelligence from the United States and other Western states that touched on this "secret deal", the Israeli newspaper reported, further citing a Washington Post report from last month that said, "Moscow and Tehran had agreed in secret to begin manufacture of Iranian-designed drones on Russian soil."
Russian and Iranian officials added the final touches to the agreement during a meeting with Iran in early November, and the two countries are taking quick steps to transport the blueprints and main parts that might allow for production to kick off within months, the report said.
The agreement, sources said, if implemented in full, will present a further step in Iranian-Russian cooperation, which "has already supported Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine."
Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said earlier in November that it was necessary to conduct strikes on Iran due to Tehran allegedly supplying drones to Russia.
The fear the drones are inflicting on the Ukrainians has pushed Kiev to further seek air defense systems from its Western allies.
The usage of drones has prompted Ukraine's allies to come together in various ways to try and help Kiev, with Turkey and the United States sending in drones and the Israeli occupation providing Kiev with intelligence on the Iranian drones being used in Ukraine.
Iran and Ukraine were supposed to sit down and discuss the issue, but Kiev bailed out on the talks at the last second.
The Israeli occupation, meanwhile, spent millions of dollars to appease its western partners by procuring undisclosed strategic materials for Ukraine after "Tel Aviv" faced pressure to send the arms to Kiev via a third country, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Reportedly, the United States is the party that pressured the occupation, which had to go against its proclaimed stance to only send humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
