Iran watches US reshuffle Patriot air defence system from Israel to Ukraine, officials say
The Trump administration is moving a Patriot air defence system from Israel to Ukraine after it is refurbished and serviced, a US official confirmed to Middle East Eye on Monday.
The move, first reported by The New York Times on Sunday, was portrayed as a signal of support by the Trump administration to Kyiv after Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky met last month at the Vatican in Rome to reset their rocky ties.
Trump has stepped up his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks, and the US and Ukraine agreed to a highly anticipated critical minerals deal.
However, a current US official and one former official told MEE that the Patriot move may also convey a message to Iran that the Trump administration is prepared to de-escalate tensions in the region as it continues to engage in nuclear talks.
According to The New York Times, the deal to transfer the Patriot system was agreed with Israel in September by the former Biden administration. However, it still requires the approval of the Trump administration.
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Patriots are highly prized air defence systems that the US operates and provides to allies across the globe. The US moved one system from Asia to the Middle East last month amid heightened tensions with Iran.
The current efforts to remove the Patriot come as defence officials put a renewed focus on Israel’s air defence capabilities after a Houthi ballistic missile hit a parking lot close to Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
The strike sent a shockwave through Israel, puncturing an aura of invincibility that had been built over the last year after two rounds of highly choreographed missile and drone attacks launched by Iran did minimal damage to Israel, according to US and Israeli officials.
Israel’s Army Radio said Arrow 3, the country’s most sophisticated air-defence system, and the US’s advanced Thaad system were both unsuccessfully deployed against the Houthi missile.
Israel struck back at Yemen on Monday, targeting Hodeidah with nine strikes by the time of publishing.
US and Arab officials tracking the attack told MEE they are still not clear how the missile evaded the systems and was guided to the airport.
Israel has a sophisticated layered air defence system funded by the US.
Israel's air defence systems
The Arrow system uses interceptors to shoot down ballistic missiles flying at high altitudes. Israel uses the Iron Dome to intercept short-range projectiles, and David’s Sling to intercept medium-range projectiles.
The Arrow 2 is used to intercept long-range atmospheric missiles that are likely to be fired by Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Arrow 3 is used to intercept high-altitude missiles outside the atmosphere, which analysts say the Houthis and Iran are capable of firing.
Israel has completed its foreign military financing for this year, and current and former US officials say the Trump administration must hash out a new package for 2026 by the end of the year.
Israel is trying to limit its reliance on US-supplied Patriots.
The country’s air force announced in February that it would be reducing its use and transitioning its crews to operate Israel’s domestically developed Iron Dome.
Still, US allies jostle fiercely for access to Patriots. Where administrations pull Patriots from and move them to is often seen as a signal of US priorities, and at times, tensions in bilateral relations.
Iran nuclear talks
For example, The Wall Street Journal revealed that the Biden administration removed Patriot systems and their interceptors from Saudi Arabia throughout the summer and spring of 2021.
The reshuffle came as the Biden administration was seeking to end the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthis in Yemen, having chastised it publicly for human rights issues.
Then, in March 2022, the administration refilled the kingdom with Patriot antimissile interceptors ahead of Biden’s visit to reset ties.
The Trump administration has given Israel a free hand to resume its war on Gaza after it pulled out of a short-lived ceasefire in March. The White House has also cleared a backlog of delayed arms shipments to Israel. But ties are tense over Iran.
President Trump is trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. The talks have the backing of “America First” isolationists, but are being criticised by traditional, pro-Israel Republicans.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Trump fired his former national security advisor, Mike Waltz, in part because he held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about attacking Iran.
Waltz was nominated as the US ambassador to the UN.
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