Pentagon chief, in Israel, calls on allies to step up Ukraine support

BEN GURION AIRPORT, Israel (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Israel on Thursday during a Middle East visit, called on allies to step up support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

While Israel has condemned the Russian invasion and provided Ukraine with humanitarian relief and protective gear, it has stopped short of widening the assistance to include defence technologies such as missile interceptors.

"Israel has been providing helpful humanitarian support for Ukraine, and I'm also grateful for Israel's participation in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that I convene," Austin said at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart.

"Yet we're also calling on all of our allies and partners to step up now at this hinge moment in history. Nations of goodwill, and especially our fellow democracy, must all urgently do their part to help Ukraine fight for its freedom," Austin said.

Israel has been measured in its rhetoric on Russia, mindful of the need to coordinate Israeli air strikes against Iranian targets in Syria with Moscow's garrison in the Arab state.

"We are doing our best efforts, in coordination with the United States, to help the Ukraine government to protect its people, and we are doing it under the understanding of what are the Israeli interests in the region," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters.

Last month Israel's foreign minister visited Kyiv to pledge continued assistance, including the improving of Ukraine's air defence early warning system. That idea was introduced last year but Kyiv said it had made little progress.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Daniel Wallis)