Israel has stepped up intelligence assistance to Ukraine through NATO in recent weeks, sources in Brussels told Haaretz.

Iran's decision to supply drones and expand military cooperation with Russia is a strategic mistake by Tehran and the best thing that could have happened to Israel-NATO relations, an Israeli defense source told the newspaper.

Just a month and a half ago, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi rejected an offer by the Ukrainian Defense Minister to share information about Iranian drones shot down over the country. These details would have been obtained in exchange for Israeli intelligence information.

Before Iran's intervention, the Bennett-Lapid government stubbornly refused to provide Kiev with anything that could help Ukraine militarily, settling for humanitarian aid.

Israel feared that Russia might retaliate by interfering with the freedom of the Israeli air force in the skies over Syria, as Iran tried to increase its presence against Israel in the north. But U.S. pressure and increased Iranian aid to Russia have persuaded Israel to abandon its policy of apathy.

Last month, senior European officials said that under American pressure, Israel had agreed to guarantee the purchase of millions of dollars worth of strategic materials for Ukraine. The materials were transferred through a NATO country, and Israel agreed to allow NATO countries to transfer weapons to Ukraine, including optronic systems and fire control systems manufactured by Israeli firms.

In recent weeks, Iranian drones have played a key role in Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities.

Over several years, the Mossad, military intelligence, the Air Force and the Navy have created a database of Iranian drones. If Brussels gains access to this data, Ukraine and NATO countries, as well as other states such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Australia, will benefit.

Israel handed over a detailed file on Iranian drones, especially the Shahed-136, the so-called kamikaze drone. The file was handed over by Haim Regev, Israel's ambassador to the EU and NATO, during a meeting with the alliance's undersecretary general.