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U.S. Accelerates Arms Shipments to Israel

(Ynet News) Ron Ben Yishai - "Almost all the obstacles but one have been overcome," says an Israeli official familiar with Israel-U.S. military cooperation. Sources say the obstacle involves precision one-ton GPS-guided bombs that the U.S has not agreed to transfer to Israel. For over a week now, two C17 or Boeing 747 jets loaded with equipment and armaments Israel requested have been landing daily. In January 2021, the U.S. transferred responsibility for Israel from the European Command to the Central Command (CENTCOM). Relations with CENTCOM let Israel in through the back door to be able to cooperate with countries with which it has no diplomatic relations. It's no secret that top Saudi, Kuwaiti and Israeli army officers sit alongside representatives from other armies at CENTCOM's headquarters in Florida. CENTCOM has a dedicated base inside an Israel Air Force base, with a recently completed complex designed to house and manage joint Israel-U.S. defense operations including intercepting missiles and UAVs. The U.S. has stationed forces on an unprecedented scale in the Middle East and, unlike last time around, it's clearly offensive in nature. The Americans have made it clear to Iran that if they attack Israel, they'll likely be subject to military blows not just from Israel, but from the U.S. too, alongside imposition of sanctions. This means the cost to the Iranians would be very high, both economically and militarily. In exchange for the unexpected supply flow increase, the U.S. demands that Israel avoid a preemptive strike on Iran, and that if Iran and Hizbullah attack, Israel will suffice with a proportional response, such that would not lead to a regional war. The U.S. is actually telling Israel: We'll give you everything you need in defense terms, but you will allow the war to end before the U.S. elections.
2024-08-25 00:00:00
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