Zelensky: We Sent Drone Experts to Protect US Bases in Jordan

SadaNews - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his country has sent drone experts and interceptor drones to Jordan to protect US bases there, at the request of Washington, according to the New York Times.

Zelensky explained - according to the newspaper - that America made the assistance request to Ukraine last Thursday, indicating that the team of Ukrainian experts departed for Jordan the following day.

Iran is targeting what it describes as American interests in the Gulf countries, Iraq, and Jordan with missiles and drones in response to a war launched by Israel and the United States against Tehran at the end of last month.

The Wall Street Journal reported that an American official said on Friday that Washington is rushing to replace a radar system from the THAAD in Jordan after it was damaged by an Iranian drone attack.

Ukraine's Expertise in Exchange for What?

According to the New York Times, Kyiv has shown great enthusiasm in offering assistance to American forces and their allies in the Middle East to confront types of attack drones designed in Iran, which Russia has been using in Ukraine for years.

The Ukrainian president stated that he has reviewed intelligence indicating that the drones currently launched from Iran carry Russian components.

American officials have reported that Russia provided intelligence to Iran during the war, including satellite images showing the locations of US warships and military personnel in the Middle East.

Zelensky confirmed - according to the New York Times - the necessity of balancing fulfilling Washington's request for assistance in the Middle East with Ukraine's internal needs, as the war there has entered its fifth year.

The American newspaper pointed out that the war in Iran could lead to cutting off the weapon supplies that Ukraine urgently needs, noting that Kyiv has offered to swap its interceptor drones with Middle Eastern countries for more advanced systems that Ukraine needs to face Russian ballistic missiles, in addition to providing diplomatic support to pressure Russia to reach a ceasefire.

Former President Donald Trump stated again last Thursday that he considers Zelensky a larger obstacle than Russian President Vladimir Putin to reaching an agreement to stop the war.

Zelensky said that some Middle Eastern countries have "very strong ties to Russia," indicating the possibility of exerting pressure on Moscow to stop its military attacks on Ukraine.

Concerns about Iranian Drones

Russia was one of the first countries to adopt Iranian drones, known as "Shahed," and has developed its own version based on the original Iranian product.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has developed detection systems that use cameras and sound devices to track "Shahed" drones, and interception is carried out using machine guns, electronic weapons, nets, and even other drones.

American officials have expressed a desire to obtain the technology needed to counter Iranian drones amid declining supplies of other expensive defense systems.

The New York Times reported that the Ukrainian president and EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius stated that in the early days of the war against Iran, which began last week, Middle Eastern countries consumed more than 800 Patriot missiles in order to counter over 2,000 Iranian drones and more than 500 ballistic missiles.

The production cost of a Shahed drone is estimated at $50,000, while the cost of a US-made Patriot interceptor missile exceeds $3 million.

Source: Al Jazeera