Iran is trying to “deepen and expand” the supply of advanced weapons to Russia, which is currently waging a war in Ukraine, the head of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, said Thursday evening, AFP reported.

In late October, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that he had shared with the United States information that, according to Israeli intelligence, indicated the use of Iranian drones in the war in Ukraine.

In a speech Thursday night at Israel’s presidential residence during a ceremony related to Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, local media quoted Mossad chief David Barney as saying that Iran plans to supply Russia with more advanced equipment, without specifying what type. is this a weapon

“We warn that Iran’s future intentions, which it is trying to keep secret, are to deepen and expand the supply of advanced weapons to Russia,” Barnea said.

“We have already focused on supplying weapons to Russia, despite Iran’s lies (…) that we know,” Barnea added, saying that his services, accused by Tehran of sabotaging some nuclear facilities and killing some scientists, have “deep” knowledge about Iran.

The two countries have been waging a shadow war for years. Israel accuses Iran, which it denies, of wanting a nuclear bomb and says it is doing everything in its power to prevent it. Israel also wants to counter Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

On Monday, Colonel Dawood Jafari, a member of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Forces, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideological army, was killed in Syria near Damascus by a bomb that Tehran blamed on Israel. The Guardians aerospace division specializes in the production of drones, missiles, ballistic devices and satellites.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Israel initially took a cautious stance towards Moscow. Israel has argued that the two countries have special ties with more than a million citizens of the former Soviet Union, and that Russia has troops in Syria, Israel’s neighbor.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who left his post, condemned the “serious violation of the international order”. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with the future Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding the issue of Ukraine, according to the Israeli authorities.