5 Ukrainians dead in Israel after Iranian missile strike
Five Ukrainian citizens were killed in an Iranian missile attack on Israel on June 14.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry told the Kyiv Independent that the five Ukrainian citizens, including three children, came under fire in an attack on a residential building in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel is, the ministry said, still gathering details and identifying the deceased. An estimated 23,000 Ukrainian citizens currently live in Israel, including 11,000 who fled since Russia's invasion in 2022, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Israel launched mass attacks on Iran on June 13, primarily targeting nuclear infrastructure as well as specialists in Iranian nuclear power. The Ukrainian government has come out in support of Israel against Iran, which is a major supplier of weapons to Russia. Russia, in turn, has criticized the Israeli attack as "unprovoked aggression."
Roughly a million Israelis or approximately 15% of the total population is Russian-speaking, including sizeable communities from across the former Soviet Union. Israel has historically maintained relatively friendly ties with Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier on June 15 commented on the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could take on a mediating role between Israel and Iran.
"Yeah, I would be open to it," Trump said.
"He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved."
Olena Goncharova
