fanger
Gold Member
The US State Department and the Pentagon have approved a huge arms deal with Israel consisting of thousands of bombs and missiles worth approximately $1.9bn (€1.71bn), US officials have confirmed.
The deal will see Washington sell 3,000 Hellfire missiles, 250 medium-range air-to-air missiles, 4,100 glide bombs, 50 BLU-113 ‘super penetrator’ bombs and 700 ‘bunker buster’ bombs, given the name as they are powerful enough to reach underground sites.
This is a large deal by US-Israeli trade standards, and stands at just over half of the annual US aid budget to Israel, which is worth $3.1bn (€2.78bn) annually as part of a 10-year $30bn (€26.95bn) aid package established by the Bush Administration in 2007.
Last year, Washington suspended the transfer of surface-to-air missiles to Israel in protest at the country’s Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. In last summer’s 50-day conflict, over 2,100 Palestinians – at least 1,585 civilians – were killed, according to UN and Palestinian accounts, and 72 Israelis – all but five soldiers – died, according to Israeli accounts.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” a statement from the US Department of Defence said.
“Israel, which already has these munitions in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing the additional munitions into its armed forces,” it added. “The proposed sale of these munitions will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
US approves 2bn arms sale to Israel despite diplomatic strain Veterans News Now
They call it a sale, without mentioning that Israel pays for the arms with money the US gives them!
The deal will see Washington sell 3,000 Hellfire missiles, 250 medium-range air-to-air missiles, 4,100 glide bombs, 50 BLU-113 ‘super penetrator’ bombs and 700 ‘bunker buster’ bombs, given the name as they are powerful enough to reach underground sites.
This is a large deal by US-Israeli trade standards, and stands at just over half of the annual US aid budget to Israel, which is worth $3.1bn (€2.78bn) annually as part of a 10-year $30bn (€26.95bn) aid package established by the Bush Administration in 2007.
Last year, Washington suspended the transfer of surface-to-air missiles to Israel in protest at the country’s Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. In last summer’s 50-day conflict, over 2,100 Palestinians – at least 1,585 civilians – were killed, according to UN and Palestinian accounts, and 72 Israelis – all but five soldiers – died, according to Israeli accounts.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” a statement from the US Department of Defence said.
“Israel, which already has these munitions in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing the additional munitions into its armed forces,” it added. “The proposed sale of these munitions will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
US approves 2bn arms sale to Israel despite diplomatic strain Veterans News Now
They call it a sale, without mentioning that Israel pays for the arms with money the US gives them!