Israel obtains $8.7 billion arms deal from US, says Defense Ministry
According to the defense ministry in West Jerusalem, the US has funded the replenishment of Israel’s air defense systems. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
**Washington did not acknowledge the transfer of military aid**
The US has provided Israel with a substantial military aid package totaling $8.7 billion, primarily intended to replenish the country's depleted air defense supplies, as stated by the Israeli Defense Ministry on Thursday.
This aid package encompasses $3.5 billion that Israel has already received, which is earmarked for “critical acquisitions,” along with an additional $5.2 billion allocated for the Iron Dome missile defense system, the David’s Sling surface-to-air missile system, and a “high-powered laser defense system currently in its later stages of development,” according to the ministry.
This announcement followed a meeting at the Pentagon between Eyal Zamir, the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, and US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory.
While the Pentagon confirmed the meeting took place, it did not reference any discussions related to military aid. The funding for this military package is likely derived from a $95 billion foreign aid bill that was signed by US President Joe Biden in April, which allocated $14.5 billion for Israel, in addition to the approximate $3 billion in annual military assistance the US already provides.
Last month, the US State Department revealed that $3.5 billion from this $14.5 billion allocation had been allocated to Israel for the acquisition of US-made weapons, presumably the same $3.5 billion mentioned in the Israeli Defense Ministry’s announcement.
Israel has been engaged in conflict for nearly a year, with the Israel Defense Forces actively combating Hamas militants in Gaza since the previous October, and now facing off against Hezbollah paramilitary forces in Lebanon this month. According to the enclave’s health ministry, Israeli forces have resulted in the deaths of 41,534 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. Since last week, hundreds have died in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, with over 550 casualties reported since Monday, as noted by the country’s health ministry.
Following a surprise attack by Hamas in which approximately 1,100 people were killed and around 250 hostages were taken to Gaza, Israel declared war on the group. Concurrently, the IDF and Hezbollah engaged in a lower-intensity confrontation along the Israel-Lebanon border until an apparent Israeli sabotage operation caused thousands of communications devices used by Hezbollah to explode simultaneously. This series of incidents was described by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as opening a “new phase” in Israel’s war, which preceded the onset of the air campaign.
Just a day before the announcement of the latest military aid package, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, British Defense Secretary John Healey, and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles jointly called for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We now face the risk of an all-out war, another full-scale war, which could be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon,” Austin remarked.
In a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged the US to halt military aid deliveries to Israel, claiming that Washington is supplying the IDF with “deadly weapons that it used to kill thousands of innocent civilians, children, and women.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
The US has provided Israel with a substantial military aid package totaling $8.7 billion, primarily intended to replenish the country's depleted air defense supplies, as stated by the Israeli Defense Ministry on Thursday.
This aid package encompasses $3.5 billion that Israel has already received, which is earmarked for “critical acquisitions,” along with an additional $5.2 billion allocated for the Iron Dome missile defense system, the David’s Sling surface-to-air missile system, and a “high-powered laser defense system currently in its later stages of development,” according to the ministry.
This announcement followed a meeting at the Pentagon between Eyal Zamir, the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, and US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory.
While the Pentagon confirmed the meeting took place, it did not reference any discussions related to military aid. The funding for this military package is likely derived from a $95 billion foreign aid bill that was signed by US President Joe Biden in April, which allocated $14.5 billion for Israel, in addition to the approximate $3 billion in annual military assistance the US already provides.
Last month, the US State Department revealed that $3.5 billion from this $14.5 billion allocation had been allocated to Israel for the acquisition of US-made weapons, presumably the same $3.5 billion mentioned in the Israeli Defense Ministry’s announcement.
Israel has been engaged in conflict for nearly a year, with the Israel Defense Forces actively combating Hamas militants in Gaza since the previous October, and now facing off against Hezbollah paramilitary forces in Lebanon this month. According to the enclave’s health ministry, Israeli forces have resulted in the deaths of 41,534 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. Since last week, hundreds have died in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, with over 550 casualties reported since Monday, as noted by the country’s health ministry.
Following a surprise attack by Hamas in which approximately 1,100 people were killed and around 250 hostages were taken to Gaza, Israel declared war on the group. Concurrently, the IDF and Hezbollah engaged in a lower-intensity confrontation along the Israel-Lebanon border until an apparent Israeli sabotage operation caused thousands of communications devices used by Hezbollah to explode simultaneously. This series of incidents was described by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as opening a “new phase” in Israel’s war, which preceded the onset of the air campaign.
Just a day before the announcement of the latest military aid package, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, British Defense Secretary John Healey, and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles jointly called for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We now face the risk of an all-out war, another full-scale war, which could be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon,” Austin remarked.
In a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged the US to halt military aid deliveries to Israel, claiming that Washington is supplying the IDF with “deadly weapons that it used to kill thousands of innocent civilians, children, and women.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
