Netanyahu: No Israeli Vaccine Doses Transferred to Syria

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Motzoei Shabbos that not a single Israeli vaccine dose had been transferred to Syria as part of the efforts to secure the release of an Israeli woman held by Syria.

Responding to a journalist’s question, the Prime Minister appeared to deny earlier media reports that claimed Israel had bought vaccines for Syria as part of the deal.

Netanyahu said he was “happy” that the Israeli woman had been released and flown back home, but would not say anything else on the matter due to a request from Russia.

Russia, Syria’s key ally, was mediating in the crisis over a 25-year-old Israeli woman who was arrested by Damascus after wandering into Syria about two weeks ago.

The woman returned back to Israel on a flight from Moscow on Friday and is now being questioned by the Shin Bet.

Ahead of her return, Israel released two Syrian shepherds recently arrested for crossing into the Israeli territory.

According to the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Israel has agreed to purchase over $1 million worth of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V to be transferred to Syria as part of the deal.

The report was denied by Syria through its state SANA news agency, which angrily lashed out at the “fabricated information.”