JERUSALEM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israel denied Thursday report on a deal to sell Saudi Arabia an Iron Dome missile defense system.
"We deny the existence of an agreement to sell Iron Dome system to Saudi Arabia," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, al-Khaleej Online, an Arab-language news site with offices in the Gulf and Britain, cited "high-level diplomatic sources" saying the deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia was signed following a U.S.-brokered meeting in Washington.
The website attributed the deal to "the continued rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel in recent months."
Iron Dome is an air defense system developed by Israel to intercept short-range and medium-range rockets and mortar shells. It became operational in 2011 and during Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, it intercepted hundreds of projectiles launched from the Palestinian enclave.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no official diplomatic ties. However, in 2017, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, Israel's military chief of staff, gave an unprecedented interview to a Saudi newspaper and said Israel is willing to share with Saudi Arabia intelligence on Iran.
According to Eisenkot, Israel and Saudi Arabia share same interests regarding Iran and that Israel is ready to share classified information with the country.
