US intercepts missiles over Israel, hesitates on trying this in Ukraine - Politico gives reason
Photo: Why US does not want to shoot down missiles over Ukraine (defence-ua com)
The United States can shoot down Iranian missiles over Israel, but it does not want to destroy Russian missiles over Ukraine. The main reason for this is that Russia is armed with nuclear weapons, while Iran is not, according to Politico.
A senior aide in the US Senate, who works on Ukraine-related matters, said there’s a much greater risk if the US were to shoot down missiles over Ukraine as they do over Israel.
"The tough answer that Ukrainians may not like to hear but is unfortunately true is that we can take the risk of shooting down Iranian missiles over Israel without triggering direct war with Tehran that could lead to nuclear war," he said.
Two officials from US President Joe Biden's administration, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed the same sentiment.
According to Politico, sending American troops to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine could spark a direct military confrontation between the two largest nuclear powers in the world amid the biggest war in Europe since World War II – with potentially apocalyptic consequences. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the US can shoot down missiles over Israel without triggering war with a nuclear adversary.
Background
In October, Iran launched a massive attack on Israel, firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles. The Israeli military was assisted in repelling the attack by US destroyers.
Recently, the Pentagon announced that the US had deployed a THAAD missile defense battery to Israel. According to media reports, the US will also transfer additional air defense systems to Israel.
However, the Pentagon ruled out the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine, explaining that the wars in Israel and Ukraine are different.
