Russia could sell advanced weapons to Iran: Israel

JERUSALEM

Israel’s spy intelligence service Mossad warned Sunday that Russia could sell advanced weapons to Iran.

"Our fear is that the Russians will transfer to the Iranians in return what they lack (of advanced weaponry)," Mossad director David Barnea said in statements cited by The Times of Israel newspaper.

Such advanced weapons "will certainly endanger our peace, and maybe even our existence here," he added at a conference organized by the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy.

Barnea claimed that Tehran has provided Russia with hundreds of home-made drones for use in Ukraine and plans to send more shipments of short- and long-range missiles to Moscow.

There was no Iranian or Russian comment on the Israeli claim.

Iran has a long-running rivalry with its arch-foe Israel.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after top Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed in an operation on the outskirts of Tehran in November 2022, which Tehran blamed on Israel.

Israel has also accused Iran's intelligence services of plotting attacks on Israeli citizens in foreign countries.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar