Now, the United States is asking Israel for clarification about the $50,000 gift, which could have contained American-made thermal and infrared cameras, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Thursday.

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Russia is currently facing sanctions by the United States due to its actions in Ukraine. It is forbidden from receiving advanced U.S. technology that could be used for civilian or military purposes, Haaretz said in its report.

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The Russian leader was in Israel to view some of the country's best and brightest advances in water technology, dairy production and food preservation. The state visit led to Israel and Russia signing deals worth millions of dollars in those fields, Israeli media reported.

But, it was a visit to the Agricultural Research Organization-Volcani Center, an official government institution, that captured Medvedev’s imagination. As part of the center's work, scientists use sophisticated drones to gather data to help improve farming methods.

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Ariel, who accompanied Medvedev to the center, allowed the Russian leader to test fly one of the drones. After Medvedev expressed awe for the device, the Israeli minister insisted he take it home.

“It is a gift from the minister of agriculture,” Ariel reportedly told his new friend. A journalist from Israel’s Russian-language TV channel recorded the exchange and brought the incident to public attention earlier this week.

While Israel is investigating for the Americans, it also is looking into the incident for internal reasons. First, ministers are not permitted to give gifts worth more than a few hundred dollars. Second, the export of military equipment must be approved by the Defense Ministry. And third, the drone apparently was purchased by Volcani independently of the government through an outside grant.

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Media outlet Al-Monitor reported that scientists at Volcani tried to prevent the drone from reaching Russian hands, mainly because losing it could have a drastic impact on the institute's research. When they realized they had no choice, the scientists said, they removed all the cameras and even the controls from the drone.

A statement from Ariel’s office confirmed this, saying the drone was given to the Russians with no technology inside.