Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he attends a meeting at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday flatly denied that Jerusalem was planning to provide Ukraine’s democratic government with “lethal weaponry” as it combats the Russian invasion, following a leak of Pentagon documents over the weekend that strongly suggested that the Jewish state was willing to supply Kyiv with arms.

Speaking to reporters, Netanyahu said he didn’t know “what the basis of those reports is.”

He added that the Israeli government had made “no decision about lethal weaponry… I’ll do what I can, if I can, to help resolve this conflict.”

Netanyahu took the opportunity to confirm Israel’s existing position with regard to the Russian war on Ukraine, saying that Israel was providing assistance with “humanitarian matters, civil defense, the red alert (system) — things of that nature.”

The source of the rumor was contained within a major leak of Pentagon intelligence concerning the war in Ukraine as well as assessments of US allies. The leaked documents were first posted to Discord, a social media platform, before spreading to other parts of the internet.

US officials have warned that the document trove likely contains misinformation, with Chris Meagher, the Pentagon spokesperson, describing the leak on Monday as “a very serious risk to national security.”

Other Middle East-related claims made in the leaked documents included the rumor that Egypt was seeking to secretly supply Russia with missiles and another indicating that the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization widely believed to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, was attempting to purchase weapons in Turkey.

The leaked paper about Israel was entitled “Israel: Pathways to Providing Lethal Aid to Ukraine.” It reportedly argued that the US could pressure Israel into supplying the Kyiv government with lethal force. Dated Feb. 28, the paper contended that Israel  “likely will consider providing lethal aid under increased US pressure or a perceived degradation” in its relationship with Russia.