'Small Number' of Ukraine Soldiers Get Drone Training in US

Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
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'Small Number' of Ukraine Soldiers Get Drone Training in US

Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)

Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in the United States to operate the deadly Switchblade drones that Washington is supplying to Kyiv, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said it was a "very small" number of Ukrainian troops who were already present in the US before Russia invaded their country, AFP said.

"We took the opportunity, having them still in the country, to give them a couple of days' worth of training on the Switchblades, so they can go back... to train others in the Ukrainian military," according to Kirby.

He said the 100 drones, which are essentially remotely controlled flying bombs which are crashed into targets where they explode, have been sent to Ukraine to bolster the military's fight against Russian troops.

"They arrived over there earlier this week. So they'll be getting into Ukraine quickly if they aren't already there," Kirby said, adding that the number of Ukrainian trainees was less than a dozen.

President Joe Biden announced on March 16 that, among other weaponry and munitions Washington was shipping to the Ukrainians, it would start sending the Switchblades.

Named for the way their wings unfold when launched, Switchblades are called loitering munitions, because they can be flown to target areas and held there until the right moment when a target is identified.

The operator then flies them into the target where they explode.

The original version, small enough to carry in a backpack, was used by US forces in Afghanistan.

A larger version, with enough explosives to take out armored vehicles, has also been developed. But the Pentagon would not say which one has been sent to Ukraine, if not both.

Meanwhile the United States announced Tuesday it was releasing another $100 million worth of military aid to Ukraine as its forces push Russians out from the Kyiv region.

Six weeks after Russia invaded and tried to quickly capture the capital, Kirby said they failed and had "completely withdrawn" from the Kyiv area as well as Chernigiv to the north.

Moscow has indicated it is preparing to intensify fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, where its forces hold major chunks of territory.

But Kirby said the Pentagon had not yet seen a significant influx of reinforcement troops into that region, particularly the pro-Moscow Donbas area.



Israeli PM Netanyahu Appoints New Ambassador to United States

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
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Israeli PM Netanyahu Appoints New Ambassador to United States

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, on June 4, 2023. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed US-born Yechiel Leiter, an official who previously served as chief of staff in the finance ministry, as the next Israeli ambassador to the United States.

"Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics," Netanyahu said in a statement, Reuters reported.

His appointment was also welcomed by Yisrael Ganz, the head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing councils of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a territory Palestinians want as part of a future state.

Ganz said Leiter, who lives in the Gush Etzion settlement area, as "a key partner in English-language advocacy for Judea and Samaria", a name used by many Israelis for the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Leiter's appointment came three days after Donald Trump's election to a second term as US president, celebrated by many Israelis because of his strong support for Israel.

As well as serving in the finance ministry, Leiter also held positions as deputy director general in the Education Ministry and acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company. His son was killed last year in the Gaza war while serving with the Israeli military.