According to reports and photos published on social media, Israeli-made Gaia Amir MRAP armored vehicles have been spotted near Kherson in service of the Ukrainian army.

On Twitter, an account focusing on military developments in Ukraine published photos of the Israeli vehicles produced by the private company, Gaia, noting that “this is the first time the Ukrainian army has seen Israeli-made vehicles.”

#Ukraine: To make today even more notable- for the first time ever Ukrainian forces were spotted using Israeli-made military vehicles! Here we see an Israeli GAIA Amir MRAP 🇮🇱, currently deployed in #Kherson Oblast.

There is no information how these vehicles appeared in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yhoAH8J30M

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) November 11, 2022

However, the Ukrainians’ celebration of the vehicles did not last long. A Russian Telegram channel released a video showing one of the vehicles being targeted and destroyed by a Lancet suicide missile following the Russian army’s tremendous withdrawal from Kherson.

VIDEO: Israeli-made armored vehicles destroyed by Russia

MORE https://t.co/ojxa70SRwL pic.twitter.com/yxxZqUGzAN

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) November 13, 2022

Israel previously stated that due to “operational restrictions,” it could not transfer weapons to Ukraine but has repeatedly supplied the war-torn country with humanitarian aid and even early warning systems.

The Jerusalem Post quoted the outgoing Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, saying, “Tel Aviv does not have the production capabilities to provide Ukraine with air defense systems.”

Since the start of the war, senior Ukrainian officials have asked Israel for its Iron Dome defense system. However, Tel Aviv has refused to provide direct military assistance to avoid sparking a crisis with Moscow.

Israeli-made MRAP GAIA Amir 4×4 armored car in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the #Kherson Oblast 🇺🇦🇮🇱🤝 pic.twitter.com/hbBUzVWP7M

— BlackNAFO🇺🇦😎 (@DancehallHeat) November 11, 2022

Despite this, Hebrew media confirmed that an Israeli security company sold anti-drone systems to the Ukrainian army capable of intercepting and jamming combat drones.

The same sources revealed that these systems are being transported through Poland to circumvent the ban imposed by Israel on the sale of advanced weapons to Ukraine.

A month ago, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba formally asked the Israeli government to provide Ukraine with air defense systems following massive missile attacks and raids by Iranian-made suicide drones carried out by Russian forces against military targets and infrastructure.

I spoke to Israeli Prime Minister @YairLapid and informed him on unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones. We discussed in detail Ukraine’s request for Israel to provide air and missile defense systems and technology.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 20, 2022

Outgoing prime minister Yair Lapid’s office released a statement saying the premier had expressed “deep concern” over the military ties between Russia and Iran.

On 17 October, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned Israel of the repercussions of supplying Ukraine with weapons, saying that any step in support of Ukrainian forces would seriously harm bilateral relations.