Threat from the sky: Why Ukrainian and Israeli airspace can't be defended the same way

Why can't Ukraine receive the same protection from Russian drones that was afforded to Israel by the UK and US last week?

This question has not been lost on President Zelensky who certainly believes Ukraine deserves the same level of protection that was given to the Middle Eastern nation that was attacked by more than 300 Iranian drones.

The aerial attack was thwarted with the help of the Royal Air Force, the US Air Force and other nations.

But why can't two important conflicts be given the same treatment when facing drone attacks?

• Zelenksy appeals for Ukraine to get same protection as Israel following drone attack
• RAF fighters shot down Iranian drones launched against Israel, PM says
• Watch: Ukraine's highly mobile air defence units shoot down waves of Shahed drones sent by Russia

When he was asked why Ukraine and Israel were being treated differently, the US National Security spokesman replied: "Different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture."

Conflict

While Great Britain and other allied nations have provided military aid and support for Ukraine, deploying combat aircraft to repel Russian attacks would be a significant step taken by the West.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has already accused Britain of directly taking part in the conflict by allegedly deploying Special Forces inside Ukraine.

Directly partaking in an armed conflict involving Russia could risk escalating the situation.

Airspace

The airspace over Israel is currently uncontested, meaning the Israeli air force and its allies are free to fly without risk of opposition.

As groups such as Hamas have no air power, the threat faced in the air is significantly smaller than that of Ukraine.

However, the Russian air force remains a threat in the skies above Ukraine. Countering drone attacks in contested airspace with Russia would prove far more complicated.

Furthermore, Israel's airspace is much smaller, meaning a far more layered defence can be applied against drone attacks.

This would also be supported by the very effective Iron Dome defence system.

Threat Picture

European and American nations can shoot down Russian drones or cruise missiles, as well as Iranian drones and missiles.

However, while they would face no significant air defence operating over Israel, they would face sophisticated Russian air defences like the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

While Israel's Iron Dome has proved very effective against smaller, unguided rockets fired by Hamas and Iran, it is unlikely the system could operate so well against the more advanced weapons launched by Moscow.